Amara: An X-Men Story
by tfry1440
Summary: Set after X-Men: The Last Stand. A new mutant was uncovered by Cerebro in Africa, and the team is eager to help her control her Level 5 capabilities. But Logan has seen her somewhere before. Can she unlock Logan's past, and ensure his future? What happens when the past heavily affects the present? Gets WAY better as you read, I promise! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE X-MEN!
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi Everyone! I'm so excited to finally share this story with people. I've been having this dream for weeks and couldn't resist writing it down and seeing where I could take it. This is my first fanfic so please bear with me. Reviews would be SO appreciated right now! Let me know if you want to keep writing or burn the computer I'm typing this on! Jk, please don't do that I'm a broke college kid and can't afford that. Anyways, hope you enjoy!_**

 _Amara_

"Well this is just peachy…." Amara muttered, glancing outside the window. As far as she could see, police were surrounding the building.

"It's as if they never witnessed a mutant before!" Amara rolled her eyes, angered at the police forces' insolence. Crouching below the window, she began to strategize a way out.

"With my record, I can't get caught again. Especially for what I just did? Damn, they'll lock my ass up and I'll never see daylight again." She thought, eyes scanning the room she was housed in. After her genetic _gift_ decided to show itself again after some sleaze bag decided to make himself too familiar with her anatomy, Amara had fled the scene, knowing with the amount of witnesses around that there was no way in hell she was going to get away punishment free. Hearing sirens in the distance, she ducked into this abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city Tamanrasset, Algeria, acknowledging that her only other option other than surrendering to the police was to face death in the Sahara Desert.

As her frustration mounted, her eyes landed on a piece of the wall that looked strikingly different from the rest. Sprinting to it, she gently outlined the wood, eyes widening at her realization that this was a poorly done patch job.

"With just the right amount of force, I could break out of this shit hole. I'll take my chances with the desert, better than going back with those fuckers to who knows where." She surmised, rushing to the other side of the building for a running start. Getting into a sprinting stance, she heard what she assumed to be the police chief yelling at her to stand down, give herself up, yadda yadda yadda.

"Damn, I wish I spoke Arabic," she whispered, "I'd tell this guy just where he could shove his demands… Ok, freaky power thingys, you got me into this mess, as usual, so you're damn sure gonna get me out."

Amara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She envisioned just how she wanted to escape, and in no time a soft breeze began to whip around the room. Furrowing her eyebrows, she concentrated harder until the winds picked up their speed, all but lifting her off of her feet at their force.

Smiling, Amara opened her eyes and sprinted towards the weak part of the walls. With the winds at her back she broke through the wood with ease. She didn't stop as she approached the police line.

"Fuck you, assholes!" She shouted as she blasted through the surprised men and took off into the desert. Before the men could comprehend that the sudden tornado had indeed been their target, Amara was gone, the only evidence that she had even been in the area was a shattered wall and a light breeze following her escape route.

 _Logan_

"Gorramnit swap rat!" Logan yelled, much to his adversary's amusement. Remy sprinted away from the scene of the crime, howling laughter behind him. Logan growled like a feral dog, wiping the remnants of Remy's whipped cream prank off of his face.

"When I get my hands on that damn Cajun, I'm gonna skin him alive and then we'll see if the asshole'll still be laughin'." He thought, groaning as he got up from bed. Glancing at his clock, he noticed it was 7:21 a.m. He had to get ready for the X-Men meeting in half an hour.

"Remy the luckiest piece of shit alive right now, cuz if I didn't have this damn meeting, oh the things I'd do to him…" He mumbled, grinning wickedly. Entertaining different methods of murder, Logan took a quick shower and got dressed into his typical dark jeans, tank top and flannel shirt, then headed downstairs.

Kids were scurrying all over the place, last minute preparing to go home. It was the end of the academic year, and the kids who had homes to go back to were due to leave in a few hours. Logan smiled at a few of the students, giving a few 'have a nice summers' to the good kids, and a few choice words and threats to the not so nice ones.

"Logan!" a voice exclaimed, and before he could react, Marie had enveloped him in tight bear hug, smiling up at her surrogate father.

"How ya doin', kid?" Logan asked, returning her hug enthusiastically. After Marie had taken the cure, she had returned to her new home apprehensive of what her fellow students and teachers would have to say. To her surprise, she did not meet any resistance or criticism to her decision, being welcomed with open arms. Though her boyfriend Bobby did not at first agree with her decision, he eventually came to realize that it was only her decision to make, and actually began to enjoy being able to touch and kiss his girlfriend.

"When ya guys leavin' today? I wanna see ya off." Logan said, disengaging himself from Marie just enough to glare at her. Her, Bobby, Kitty, Peter, and Jubilee had plans to go spend a few weeks with Bobby's family in their summer rental apartment near New York City. Though Logan did not like the idea of the kids going so far for so long, and definitely did not like the idea of Bobby and Marie being so far from his ever watching eye, he found solace in Bobby's parents being present at all time, and had confidence that Bobby would not try nothing after his _talk_ with Logan yesterday. Logan smirked at the memory of Bobby's heightened heart beat and shivering not from the cold.

"We leavin' at 11, Logan. Ah already packed and everything, but Jubilee refuses tah leave without her whole wardrobe with her." Marie explained, rolling her eyes to express her annoyance.

Logan grinned and patted Marie's hair lovingly as he said, "Ya know how she gets, kiddo. I got a meetin' with Storm and the furball, hopefully it don't last too long, and I'll be up before ya leave, ok? Don't ya even think about leavin' before I see ya understood?" He asked, staring over Marie's shoulder at her boyfriend as he asked the question. Bobby gulped and quickly nodded as he grabbed Marie mumbling about needing help packing as he scurried as far away from Logan he could.

Chuckling to himself, Logan made his way downstairs to the sublevels, dreading sitting through another pointless meeting Hank thought as necessary. It was four months after the last stand was made at Alcatraz, and the pain of the losses was beginning to lessen. But as people began to heal, problems began to arise at the school. Ororo had taken Charles' place as head master of the school, and demonstrated the same leadership and compassion as her predecessor. Unfortunately, there was one role she could not fill: being able to use Cerebro to find other mutants in need. Fortunately, one such telepathic mutant had happened upon their doorstep a few weeks ago. Her name was Emma Frost, and she claimed to be sent by Charles. After the initial confusion had subsided, she relayed her last conversation with the professor, which happened to be immediately after Jean had escaped from the school. Xavier had told her of Jean resurfacing, and had asked of her a favor. If after three months she had not heard from him nor felt his conscience, to go to the school and continue to use Cerebro for its intended use.

Logan waltzed into the meeting room, winking at Emma who rolled her eyes and impatiently waited for him to take a seat. Emma was a beautiful woman; she had platinum blonde hair that flowed to her midsection and a very curvy body. Logan always flirted with her, which although it was completely innocent, did not stop from annoying her to the core.

Clearing her throat, she glanced at Ororo who silently nodded for her to proceed with her debriefing.

"As you all know, other than being a teacher here, I also am constantly scanning for mutants as Charles had asked me to. Last night, though I had not been actively using Cerebro, I received a telepathic message from it." She began.

"Wait, Cerebro can do that?" Ororo asked in wonder.

Emma glanced over at Hank, who was nodding yes. "A few years ago, Charles had expressed his concern for how much time he had to spend away from Cerebro, worrying that anything could happen in his absence. He asked if there was a way that Cerebro could notify him of any new findings while he was away. I found a way to do this, though it only has the capability of notifying him of Level 5 mutants…" Hank explained as he eyes gazed curiosly at Emma, insisting she continue.

"Yes, well, that is exactly what it found. Meet Amara." She gestured towards the projection screen as she hit a button on her remote. A picture of a striking young woman, no more than 25 yrs old came on the screen. She had dark, almost black eyes that seemed to glower into the camera. She had full lips that were twisted into a scowl in the mugshot. Her skin was a medium milk chocolate complexion, and her hair, which was short, black with natural brown highlights, and knappy, wildly enhanced her features. Logan took a quick gasp of air. She was undoubtedly gorgeous, but that wasn't it. He _recognized_ this woman.

"Where could I have seen her, before?" He thought.

Emma's head snapped to look at him, surprise written on her face as she heard his projected thoughts. She quickly shrugged and continued detailing the young woman to her teammates.

"This woman was in an out skirted city in Algeria. Upon checking their recent news, I found an article detailing what the journalist deemed a 'freak occurrence'. It seems some drunk had pawed at our friend here and had been a little too forward with her, causing her to panic and release a bolt of electricity that killed him on the spot. She fled to an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city, and just when police were asking for her surrender she burst through the back and whisked through the police line. Police officers thrown from the area claimed that she was inside of a tornado, that she had CREATED it to escape." Emma elucidated.

Ororo's eye brows shot up in shock. "Is her ability mastery over the elements like me?" She asked.

"I thought so at first, but I remembered that she was a Level 5, while you're only a Level 4, Ororo."

Ororo nodded in understanding as Emma continued.

"I did some more research and hacked into Algeria's records and found that this was not the last time she was under scrutiny. Apparently twenty years ago, this girl and her father were sailing off the coast of Alegeria when the ship was over taken by Ethiopian pirates. At first the pirates had planned on ransoming the two to the American government, assuming where they were from based on them screaming and pleading in English. Imagine their surprise when they realized that the father was actually a fugitive, who had deserted their clan five years ago. In a fit of rage, the leader necklaced her father in front of her and-"

"Well what tha hell is necklacin'?"

"If you'd let me finish Logan, I'd explain it." Emma glowered until Logan quieted down.

"Anyways, necklacing has been a form of torture used in Africa since the 80s. The pirates found a tire and filled it with gasoline. They placed it around the man's neck and lit it, thus causing his head to catch fire. Necklacing usually takes about twenty minutes to kill its victims, so I have no doubt that that's how long Amara's father suffered before he died."

Hank shook his head in disgust as Ororo and Logan gasped in horror.

"Imagine having to watch your father die like that…" Ororo cried, wiping her eyes.

"Those sonsovbitches!" Logan pounded the table, leaving a dent in the metal.

"Yes indeed." Emma regretfully murmured. "But that's not the end of her suffering. Seeing her father die like that was extremely traumatic, and when the pirates turned their eyes upon her it was too late. She was floating in the air, murmuring and crying. When the men moved to apprehend her, waves began crashing the ship, each one stronger than the last until the entire ship was destroyed. A humongous hurricane was created and lasted almost two days, expanding a total of 7500 miles in gale diameter.

Everyone gasped at the thought of such power wielded by a child.

"It was the largest maritime disaster in Africa's history. We still are not aware of the casualties. Her body somehow made it to shore. One of the pirates had managed to abandon ship before the ship was destroyed, and recounted the events to the Algerian police. She was arrested on the spot and spent twenty years incarcerated in one of the worst prisons in the world."

"She must be one seriously tough woman." Logan mumbled.

"Oh believe me she is. She's been in more fights and has the longest medical record I've ever seen. She was released three years ago and has been living under the radar until now."

"But how was Charles unaware she created the disaster? I thought he monitored for things like that. I mean, that's how he found me." Ororo admitted.

"The police did not share the origins of the storm, I had to dig extremely deep into their records, and her file is under their highest classification."

"So when can we save this woman?" Hank inquired.

"She was last seen heading into the Sahara Desert, and all surrounding cities have been notified of her arrest warrant. No news of her has come up so it's safe to assume she stayed in the desert. Head out at twelve hundred hours. I'll be monitoring the news to find any updates on her whereabouts. Meeting adjourned."

Everyone got up and shuffled out the door, Hank and Ororo murmuring to each other whispering sympathies about the poor woman and expressing their need to help. Logan was too deep in his thoughts to take any heed.

"Where have I seen this woman before?" He wondered. "I've never met her but she looks so familiar….."


	2. Chapter 2

_Amara_

"Holy shit…" Amara muttered, rubbing her head. She tried to get up but the pounding headache she had was telling her otherwise. With a frustrated groan she lay back down and tried to recount the past couple of hours in her head. She remembered escaping the warehouse and entering the desert at a speed of over 100 miles per hour. When she had focused the winds to aid her escape she had been ecstatic, but after an hour she realized she had no idea how to make it stop and began to panic. As her fear increased, so did the force of the winds, creating an impromptu sandstorm. Last thing she remembered was crying for help before she passed out from the exertion.

"Why is it that every goddamn time I ask for your damn help, I pass out? That's it; I don't think this relationship will last. It's for damn sure not me, it's you. Fucking worthless ass powers…" She chuckled humorlessly as she slowly opened her eyes to survey her surroundings. With a huff she sat up much too fast, stars swimming in her eyesight as her body protested to the speed of her movements.

"You've got to be FUCKING kidding me!"

There was no desert as far as she could see. She was surrounded by forest. By a FUCKING forest in the middle of the Sahara Desert. She looked down and ran her hands through the soft grass, much too green for this biome. She quickly turned her head to soak in the rest of her surroundings, wincing at the pain and dizziness this entailed. Small purple flowers were seen at random points throughout the clearing, surrounded by butterflies and was that a hummingbird? She shook her head and tried to ignore the fact that she must be batshit crazy to think she was in a tiny clearing in a forest in the most brutal desert in the world. Amara opened her eyes and was dismayed to see that she was indeed still in the small oasis and looked up at the sound of rustling leaves. A canopy of leaves created much needed shade over her, and she guessed the trees were a good 100 feet high. She saw movement from the corner of her eye and just managed to catch a glimpse of a tail as something jumped from tree to tree. Her eyes widened when she indeed saw what it was.

"Is that a fucking monkey?! How the hell can it even survive here? What the hell?! I just can't catch a fucking break can I?" She shouted, to no one and everyone. Then a memory from last night flashed through her mind, she remembered seconds before she passed out, after she had yelled for help, the ground shaking. As her eyes had begun closing and blackness blocked her vision, she remembered seeing green sprouting from the sand.

"Did I- did I _create_ this?" Amara looked at her surroundings with new interest. Yes, yes she remembered in her panic wishing that she found an oasis of some sort so she'd never have to return to civilization. But generating plants and wildlife with a simple thought? That's not physically possible was it? She shuddered at the thought, closing her eyes and laying back down, brooding over her new discovery.

A few hours later she awoke to the sound of chirping. She inwardly sighed and thought, "The least my powers could do is shut those assholes up so I could sleep!"

Her eyes shot open and her head began to throb as an eerie silence fell upon her. She gently put a hand on her head, methodically rubbing her temples. "This shit is too freaky…" She thought. She began to yawn and stretch out her sore muscles. It took her five minutes of painstakingly slow movements and a string of colorful words until she could stand up. Her hand tapped her stomach, attempting to quiet it from growling. After being released from prison, she had been living on the street, pick pocketing for a living. Though she was an impressive thief, she still would go days between meals, and today was no different.

"Wish I had some damn food so I could, oh I don't know, not die." Amara muttered sarcastically. Yet again her head began to throb as a soft rustling began behind a bush to her right. Warily, she looked towards the sound, slowly backing away praying that she hadn't conjured up any predators. The sound became louder, and she quickened her pace. Suddenly, her legs came into contact with the root of a tree, and she fell on her rear, the wind effectively knocked out of her.

"Shit!" She cursed, rubbing her butt and glaring daggers into the root that had tripped her. Abruptly, a shadow obstructed her view, causing her curses to get caught in her throat. Ever so slowly she looked up to peer at the animal that would undoubtedly be her demise. Shockingly, what she found was definitely not what she expected. In front of her was a monkey, a grinning monkey who seemed to be a mother, considering she had two baby monkeys clinging to her chest. Amara looked questioningly at the beast, wondering if monkeys had humans in their diet. She flinched as the monkey extended its arm and reached for her hand. The monkey growled and glared at Amara as if to say 'knock it off' and reached for her hand again. Like a scolded child Amara hung her head and let her hand be grasped. She was shocked to feel something large and wet being left in her hand. She looked and was confused to see an unrecognizable fruit dripping a sticky liquid down her arm. Again she looked at the monkey questioningly. Rolling its eyes, the monkey gestured for her to bring it to her mouth, meaning for her to eat it.

"I'm supposed to eat this shit? What if you're trying to kill me, huh? Trying to feed me to your demon spawn?" Amara demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"If I was trying to kill you, believe me you'd be dead."

Amara leapt back and scurried away.

"YOU JUST FUCKING TALKED! WHAT THE FUCK?! A MONKEY JUST FUCKING TALKED TO ME! Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit…." She muttered, dropping the fruit and wrapping her arms around her legs. She began rocking back and forth, muttering nonsense and closing her eyes tight, trying to dispel the obvious nightmare she was stuck in.

"Tell me are all humans this infuriating?" The monkey asked, creeping closer to Amara with obvious annoyance.

Amara finally stopped her rocking and frowned at the monkey. "My apologies, it's not every day that a FUCKING animal talks to me. My bad for annoying you with my childish human ways." She retorted.

Yet again the monkey rolled its eyes and retrieved the forgotten fruit. "Look lady I was minding my business, eating from the bush over there when _you_ called me saying you were hungry."

"I called you, but I didn't say anything to you specifically… Oh my god. I created you didn't I?"

The monkey raised its arms exasperatedly and nodded vigorously. "How else would I have gotten here, hm? Now eat." It handed Amara the fruit, forcibly shoving it towards her mouth.

Amara began nibbling at the fruit, pausing to enjoy its tart juice going down her throat. She absently watched the animal in front of her, wondering how in the hell this happened. Upon finishing her meal a few minutes later, she realized just how dry her mouth was and croaked, "Is there any water in this godforsaken place?"

The monkey shrugged its shoulder and said, "This is your creation, you ought to know. Let me know if you need anything else, but try not to bother me. The infants are starting to wake up, and I would rather only look after two babies, not three." With a huff, she spun on her heel and climbed into the closest tree, disappearing behind the branches.

"Yup, that confirms it. The only way that monkey is such a smart ass is if it came from me." Amara mumbled, groaning from the exertion as she used the tree as leverage to stand up. She began aimlessly walking around the clearing, searching for any source of water. Then an idea came to her. "If I can create an oasis, butteflies, hummingbirds, and smartass monkeys, what's to stop me from creating water?"

She stumbled into the middle of the clearing, wondering how in the hell she was going to manage this. For some reason, she knew she'd only be able to create it from where she was standing. She sat down to quickly remove her shoes and roll up her pants. Tossing them a good distance from her body, she took a deep breath and stood up.

"Well here goes nothing. Asshole powers, activate." She furrowed her brows in concentration. Like in the warehouse, she imagined exactly what she wanted to happen. Her head burst with pain and throbbing and she whimpered at the pain, but continued to focus. Just when the pain became too much to bear, she felt wetness begin to cover her toes. She looked on in awe as a small pool of water began to expand from beneath her feet. She moved a step to her right to see the water was actually bubbling from the ground. At the sound of gurgling she looked to another spot in the clearing and saw water from that spot as well. Matter of fact, water began to sprout from multiple points in the clearing, covering the grass in mere seconds. Panic began to take over as Amara watched the water level rise at an alarming rate. By the time she counted to thirty, the water had already passed the fold in her jeans and was at her knees. The ground underneath her feet began to shake and descend, changing the flat clearing into a valley. The water level continued to rise as Amara scrambled towards the closest exposed piece of land. She began to shiver, thinking that she going to drown.

"No," a voice whispered in her mind, "You can control it. You started this, you can make it stop."

She nodded in understanding and slowly stood up, gritting her teeth against the pain. She envisioned the water stopping, leaving a beautiful lake in its wake. Abruptly, the gurgling noises stopped. Amara opened her eyes and her breath caught in her throat. Before her was a massive lake, glittering where the sun hit it. It gently lapped on the new shore in little waves, creating a relaxing sound that immediately calmed her down. With a sigh, she timidly walked towards the water, kneeling to put her hand in the waves. It was cool to the touch, and Amara's body reacted faster than her mind could comprehend what was happening. Her head was dunked into the water, lapping as much of it as her mouth could hold. Finally, her need for air was greater than her need to quench her thirst and she sat up. Smiling to herself, she wiped some stray droplets from her face, glancing at her hands. Months of grime and dirt greeted her eyes, much to her dismay.

"Now that's just some nasty shit." She thought. "But it ain't like anybody's here, may as well take a nice bath."

She slipped out of her tattered clothes the prison had given her upon her release, and stepped into the water, walking until the water came up to her shoulders. She sighed with pleasure as she began scrubbing herself down. She heard rustling and looked up to see the mother monkey emerge from the foliage, two baby monkeys in tow. They shared a nod of acknowledgement and the infants dived into the water, much to their mother's unhappiness. Amara laughed at the frown and yells as the mother chased after her children.

"Oh I could definitely get used to this…"


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hi again! I really had to read, edit, and re-edit this chapter. There were so many different directions I could have taken it, and yet I finally decided this was it. I apologize in advance if my facts both having to do with science and the X-Men universe both movie comics is off. I am a fan, but not as hardcore as I should be. Anyways,enjoy!_**

 _Logan_

Logan sat in the back of the X-Jet, deep in thought. After the meeting had ended, his mind was moving at the speed of light. He was actively searching through different scenarios, trying to make sense of where he had seen that woman before. Other than his shock as recognition flashed through his mind, his body had also reacted to the woman's mug shot. Logan was attracted to the woman, but Wolverine _needed_ this woman. Everything about her had screamed 'mate'. Her glare that hid years of pain and anguish matched his own. The scowl that graced her face was the same Logan usually wore. In other words, she was the female version of him, and the feral side of him wanted her. Logan shook his head, trying to quiet those thoughts. Instead he tried to focus on the smile Marie had as she had waved goodbye.

"Be safe kid, alright? I ain't gonna come an' save ya if ya did somethin' stupid, got it?"

"Sure, Logan. Ah'll be safe, but not because yah wouldn't save meh. We both know that's a lie." She smiled as Logan smirked, they both knew he would do anything to keep her safe.

"An' Bobby, 'member what I said. I hear dismemberment can be quite painful… 'Specially if done slowly." Logan grinned and glowered at Rogue's boyfriend, making him shiver all over again.

The kids gave their farewells to other students and faculty and crammed into the van transport provided by the airport. Logan stood and watched them depart until he could no longer see nor hear the car. With a sigh, he slowly made his way back up the steps and sat with a grunt on a chair on the porch.

"They'll be fine, Logan. You worry far too much."

"I know, 'Ro. But if I didn't worry every gorramn minute of every damn day, what else would ya guys need me for?" He smirked.

Ororo laughed and replied, "Your sense of humor, no less!" She reached down and gave him a quick hug. She gave off a scent of vanilla and sandlewood, and it somehow always managed to calm him down. After the funerals, Logan had suffered from intense nightmares, worst than the ones of his 'making'. His subconscious kept replaying how Jean died. Again and again he was haunted with feeling his adamantium claws entering her stomach, watching the pain register on her face, and having to sit in anguish as the love of his life died in his arms. He was much crankier than usual, and was even considering leaving for good. But Ororo was having none of that. She cornered him one day and forced him to talk about what had happened. After many failed attempts, she finally broke through his defenses. Hank found the both of them in a tight embrace, sobbing hysterically. Since then, the two had become the best of friends, always giving support when needed, and in Logan's case, always getting cornered for the truth.

"I know her, 'Ro."

Ororo paused, slowly sitting down on the arm of Logan's chair, waiting for him to continue.

"I don't know from where or when, but when I saw her picture just now… I mean I _recognized_ her."

A long moment passed as Ororo thought about what to say. "She's from your past?"

Logan nodded affirmatively, "She must be…"

"Logan. Do you know what bringing her here would mean?"

"She could be a missin' piece to the puzzle."

"Now the question becomes, do you want that puzzle to be solved?"

"I- I honestly don't know."

With an understanding smile, she patted his hand comfortingly as she stood to leave.

"Either way, I'm here for you. We're all here for you, Logan. Never forget that."

"Thanks 'Ro."

She nodded and headed inside.

It was hours later, and Ororo's question kept replaying in his head. "Do you want that puzzle to be solved?" He really didn't know. During the mission at Alkali Lake, many of his nightmares had been deemed a reality when he returned to the place of his torment. But for every question that was confirmed, two more had arisen, leaving Logan extremely confused and angry. He had a chance to have all his self- doubts put to rest, but to give Stryker the power to manipulate him again, that was a deciding factor. Logan may not remember his life before 15 years ago, but he knew in his gut that allowing that man back into his life was a bad move. He had come to terms that the one man that could give him the quick history lesson he needed was gone. But now that someone else could fill in a few holes, no matter how small they may be? Did he want that?

" **Emma, we're passing Tamanrasset now. Can you give us any coordinates or descriptions of what we need to look for?"** Hank thought, utilizing the mental link Emma had created.

" **No news about Amara has come up, but I feel she is still alive. Look for an oasis, she may not be able to control her powers, but remember she is a Level 5 mutant. Her powers have a sense of self- preservation and may have led her to a spot she could inhabit, at least for a little while."**

" **Thanks Emma."**

"We should put a thermal scale on, we'll be able to-"

"In case ya haven't noticed, fuzzball, we're in a damn desert. The whole gorramn area is hot."

"If you'd let me finish Logan, I would have explained that we could the thermal scan backwards." Hank flipped a switch and began to stare intently at a screen.

"You are correct to say that the desert conveys extreme heat, hence why everything in the scanner right now is a fierce red. But if there is an oasis, the scanner would most likely show less intense colors, seeing as that area would have more plant life that could create shade, causing the temperature to drop, no matter how minutely."

"Hank, that's genius!" Ororo exclaimed, planting a quick kiss on the beast's cheek.

"Hey lovebirds, ya mind savin' ya affections for when I'm not in the immediate area?"

"Oh can it, Logan. Hank and I have been together for some time now, you cannot keep reacting this way to our public show of affection-"

A loud beeping instantly cut her off. Hank's mouth twisted into a quick smile.

"Well hello there, gorgeous!" He purred, beginning the X-Jet's descent.

" **When you land, Hank stay with the X-Jet, make sure the sand won't damage the system and monitor for any civilians. I believe the reward for her arrest has been increased and the search for Amara has begun to enter the surrounding area. Logan, accompany Ororo to the outskirts of the retreat, but do not enter with her. This woman has not had the best experience with men, and I believe that since Ororo and she have similar powers, she may be able to sympathize with Ororo better."**

" **Whateva ya say, blondie."**

Hank brought the X-Jet down to a flat area, a little distance away from the oasis and the larger sand dunes. With a minor thud, he lowered the jet onto the plateau, chuckling at the slew of curse words Logan threw his way.

While Ororo and Logan unbuckled, Hank quickly switched on stealth mode and began listing instructions to his teammates.

"Ororo, I know your body adapts its temperature to its surroundings so I'm not worried about you, but Logan, even with your healing factor, you will only be able to last in the direct heat a short while. While looking for anything amiss, try to find either a source of water or shade. You're of no use to us if you pass out, old friend."

"Thanks for ya concern, blueboy." Logan sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes as he descended down the off ramp. After a chaste kiss goodbye and a 'good luck', he and Ororo began the tedious climb up one of the sand dunes. Though the heat did not affect her like it did Logan, Ororo did still have a gleam of sweat on her brow. She glanced worriedly over at Logan, who was drenched in sweat and huffing profusely. Logan shook his head at the suggestion of a break, and they continued to trudge uphill until at last they reached the crest.

"Oh my!" Ororo muttered as Logan whispered a "Holy shit."

Before them was no oasis, but a dense forest. There trees hundreds of feet in the air, giving off an earthly smell that only Logan could smell. His ear twitched to the sounds of birds chirping. Movement caught his eye, and glanced to a certain spot in a tree. A tail whisked about for a second before disappearing deeper into the forest. Logan fought to control the Wolverine. Everything about this seemed wrong and out of place; the desert was a harsh biome to survive, and every vibe he received from this forest told him it could not and would not survive. And yet, his body raved to explore it. He wanted nothing more than to kick off his boots and go sprinting through the woods, inhaling the different scents and allowing the wild side of him to feel release. It took him a few moments but eventually he was able to rein in his emotions. His eyes roved over the brush and vines, creating a natural fence around the forest, and he frowned slightly.

"'Ro?"

"Yes Logan?"

"This the direction she woulda came from correct?"

"Yes it was, why?"

"Well, ya see how dense the plants are surroundin' the forest? If Amara had simply found this place, she woulda left a trail, whether wit footprints an' a few branches breakin' or wit a huge hole in the shrubbery caused by her tornado."

"So..?"

"So either this forest regenerates, which is not natural in itself, or our girl here created this shit."

"Logan, if what you say is true, then this woman is much more powerful than we assumed. This forest stretches for miles. And the trees are only seen in rainforests, their need for moisture mush exceeds what the desert has to offer…" **"Emma!"**

" **Yes Ororo?"**

" **Amara is much stronger than we thought."**

" **How so?"**

" **She created a gorramn forest is how so, blondie."**

" **Look through our eyes, Emma."**

Logan felt a twinge at the back of his head. The Wolverine growled at this intrusion, but Logan knew it was only Emma trying to see what was ahead of them.

" **Wow, that's fascinating… Okay, change of plans. Logan, you're going to need to go in with Ororo."**

" **But I thought havin' a higher level of testosterone woulda set her off?"**

" **I still think it will, but I'll feel safer knowing you're there one to break through the foliage while looking for Amara and two to protect Ororo if she becomes emotional-"**

" **So ya need me there when shit hits the fan? Gotcha."**

" **Be careful. She must be overtaxing herself subconsciously keeping an area of this size under her control. She'll be likely to snap at any taxing information. Your safety is more important than reining this girl in. If she looks like she's about to burst, abort mission and return to the jet for further instructions. Good luck, guys."**

" **Hey thanks,** _ **boss**_ **."** Logan put emphasis on the last word, feeling Emma mentally rolling her eyes. He leered at Ororo and began slashing his way through the natural fence.

 _Amara_

Being clean never felt so good. After her bath Amara had simply floated in the water, relishing in the feeling of inner peace and a little trepidation. She was still not used to her new abilities. Her headache had receded and had become almost non-existent, but as the pain subsided, something else took its place. There was something that was lightly tugging her mind, not to the point of discomfort, but enough to let its presence be known. Yup, everything felt different to her. Somehow during her bath, her senses had also enhanced. One minute, she was only mildly aware of her body and her three companions in the lake with her, then she gradually became more aware of her surroundings without moving. She knew what other animals lurked just out of view. For lack of a better word, she could _feel_ them. There were indeed predators here, but they kept their distance, most likely wary of their creator and waiting for her call. There were animals both large and small, all different levels of the food chain. Amara realized that the reason behind this was to create an environment that could sustain itself. Nature had a delicate balance that needed to be kept, and apparently this existed even a twisted not- even- physically- possible paradise.

"I think I'll be able to better understand myself if I assume I have no control over any fucking thing in my life. How does that sound, monkey?"

Her animal companion simply rolled its eyes and replied, "Yeah, I think that's a good idea, genius."

Amara chuckled to herself and regrettably began exiting the lake near her clothes. She sighed as she slipped into the rags she called an outfit.

"I need a new outfit, monkey."

"I think your clothing matches your attitude perfectly."

"Be careful monkey. I'm sure fucking monkey fur could begin trending pretty quickly."

Angrily sticking her tail in the air, the monkey gathered her kids and began climbing the nearest tree, where Amara suspected she was nesting.

Sighing again, Amara knelt down to tie her battered sneakers only to gasp and leap back. Staring at her hand like she saw a ghost, she moved her hand back and forth in the light. Imprinted on the back of her hand were a mixture of swirls and dots, conforming into an intricate pattern that would prove difficult even to the most skilled tattoo artist. She gently rubbed her skin, attempting to rub the seemingly black ink off, only to be further surprised by the same pattern being on the back of her other hand as well. She rolled up her sleeves and followed both sets of patterns up her arms until they stopped just at her elbows. She again rubbed at her skin, more roughly than before. Giving up, she growled her frustration and plopped down with a snort.

"As if this day couldn't get any worse. I'm not even drunk and still I end up with a new tattoo. FUCKING fantastic."

She suspiciously began searching her body for more markings, inwardly groaning after removing her shoes, finding the same pattern starting at her toes and ending near her knees.

"If I had a dollar for every weird thing that has happened to me in the last twenty four hours, I'd be so goddamned rich-"

Suddenly, the pull on her mind began to throb, again not painfully, but definitely causing some form of discomfort. Her eyes began to feel funny as she slowly stood with more speed and grace than she thought physically capable. Instead of panicking, her body seemed to have a mind of its own as it mentally called out to one of the predators in the area. A black panther stalked near, still keeping to the shadows but close enough to answer its mistress' unanswered question.

"There are two intruders that have breached our North Wall. They do not seem to be police, but there is an air of authority surrounding them."

Her mouth spoke words that she had not intended, ordering, "Warn all the other animals to hide. You and the other predators are to simply observe and remain unseen. Do not attack unless attacked first. If they do anything of interest, notify me immediately."

With a quick bow the panther bounded past Amara, heading towards the direction of the disturbance.

Amara sighed tiredly and collapsed next to the lake, leaning forward on her knees trying to quell the throbbing in her head. She stared at her complexion with nothing but annoyance, noting how her eyes had changed from a dark brown to being completely green like the color of the grass she had first found herself sitting on. As she continued to look, her eyes gradually changed from a light green to a dark one, then transitioned again.

Too tired to even react, Amara sighed, muttering, "This is, single- handedly, the shittiest day of my life…"


	4. Chapter 4

_Logan_

There were five of them. He knew of their presence immediately after they entered the forest. The plants were so thick that Logan and Ororo had to walk single file, with him leading the way. His senses immediately were on alert, and while seeming casual he began searching for signs of what was amiss. Logan sniffed the air deeply, catching a semi- familiar scent. He may not know exactly what was watching them, but he knew they were feline. Probably predators.

"'Ro, act casual, ok darlin'? We're bein' watched by five feline predators, they have flanked us, so if we wanna turn back, prepare for a fight." Logan whispered, not turning around to make sure she heard him or not, he knew she did. She gently placed a hand on his back, looking like she used the contact to keep her balance but Logan knew better. She was the most graceful person he knew, and balance came more naturally to her than the powers of the elements.

He nodded slightly and kept walking, keeping his body tense and ready for anything to jump out at him. After a few minutes of this, his mind and body began to relax against his will. Questioningly, he inwardly searched for why his body felt at ease. They were still stalked by what he assumed were the fiercest predators on the planet, so why did the Wolverine calm back down? He realized it has been some time since they entered the forest, and although he knew of the cats' presence immediately, they had not attacked. Even now, as Ororo and he have ambled endlessly through the twists and turns, although they had remained out of sight, the animals still have not attacked.

"If they wanted to attack us by now darlin', they woulda."

Again he felt a light pat on his back, Ororo acknowledging his observation.

Abruptly his body tensed as heard rustling off to his left. He caught sight of a large black panther sprinting deeper into the forest. Logan adjusted his body to follow the big cat and picked up his speed.

"I don't know what's goin' on, darlin'. But I think these cats are buddies wit our girl here, and I bet that one is goin' to report to her. It's our best chance of findin' her."

"Lead away, Logan."

"Yes ma'am."

 _Amara_

She sat in that position, knees tucked under her rear, staring at her reflection for some time. A tear slid down her cheek and plopped into the water, causing her reflection to blur momentarily. She didn't know who she was anymore. One day she was just a street rat, hustling tourists and locals alike trying to get her next meal. Next thing she knows, she is in the middle of a forest she created in the driest desert in the world. She created a lake, could talk to animals, had strange markings appear on her arms and legs, and now her eyes were nothing but two green orbs, gradually changing colors continuously. A few more tears fell into the water, creating a soft pattering noise to fill the all too peaceful silence.

A large animal was heading her way at high speed, and she sighed, turning to greet the panther before it broke through the trees.

"Anything new?"

"Yes. The two are mutants."

Amara eyes widened and gasped quietly. "How do you know that?"

"They give off this smell," the panther replied, wrinkling its nose, "It is similar to yours and different from most humans."

"Why are they here? Do they wish to attack me?"

"No. I felt no hostility or ill intentions coming off of them, only wariness. They know we are watching them, even though we hid from sight. The man has enhanced senses, he knew of our presence the moment he entered the forest."

Amara nodded, deep in thought. If they were mutants, then maybe they could help her understand what she was, how to control what's happening to her.

"Where did you leave them?"

"North west from here. A few miles out. When I left to report, they began following me. That is why I went west for a little ways before I turned to come back. The man will know of my direction change, but not for another few minutes."

"Alert the animals of the forest that they no longer need to hide. Lead the two back here, but keep an eye on them. You may not be able to sense any danger coming off of them, but that doesn't mean that they come in peace. For all we know their power could be sending false signals."

The panther nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait, what is it that I should call you, panther?"

"My name is T'Challa, my lady." And with that, the panther bounded back into the forest, returning to the two mutants to kead them back to his mistress.

 _Logan_

Logan grumbled under his breath. He may love the wilderness, but everything about it felt wrong. There were no sounds or movement from other animals. There even lacked insects buzzing around. And the complexity of the tree roots him and Ororo had to weave through were not helping his mood. If he almost tripped or scuffed his boots one more time, someone would have to pay.

Suddenly he heard a loud roar coming from not too far away. Logan crouched and released his claws slowly, waiting for the cats to attack. Instead, after a moment of silence, the forest began to come to life. Birds began to chirp and fly far above his head. He heard rustling above and looked to see a troop of monkeys swinging from tree to tree. Two rabbits scurried between the two mutants, causing Ororo to jump. Every where they looked, animals large and small began to move. Logan smiled involuntarily. THIS is how the wilderness should feel. It didn't matter that many of the creatures he saw did not belong to this biome, and would not be interacting with other animals seeing as they came from different parts of the world. All around came this familiarity. Nature was at its best. The delicate balance was still maintained, and again Logan had to resist the urge to go explore this exotic wonderland.

"Logan?"

"Yeah 'Ro?"

"We have company."

Just at that second, Logan's ears perked up. The panther that had bounded off was standing off to their left, lazily sizing up the two in front of him. It growled quietly, and the other cats began to emerge from their perches. Logan surveyed the predators, noting how each animal's characteristics matches where they had been hiding. The lion had stalked from behind some tall grass. The cougar appeared from behind a rocky hill, something Logan had not even noticed was there. The tiger miraculously just appeared; moving just enough that its camouflaged fur was not in sync with its surroundings. Lastly, the jaguar began to climb down from its perch in a tree, landing softly next to its brethren. The cats had made a horizontal line in front of Logan and Ororo, with the panther being in the center.

"Are they going to attack us?" 'Ro asked, trembling slightly.

Logan looked into the panther's eyes, and came to the understanding that no, they were not going to attack. The panther stared for a second longer and turned as if to leave.

"Wait gorramnit! Where's Amara?"

The panther turned back and gestured in the direction it was headed. The other cats had already disappeared that way, leaving only the panther and the two mutants behind.

"He wants us ta follow him. He'll lead us ta Amara."

Ororo looked at Logan questioningly, wondering how he could have known that. But after glancing at the panther and back at Logan, she realized the Wolverine must have been communicating with it.

Again the panther turned to leave, and this time Logan and Ororo followed closely.

"I don't know bout ya, 'Ro, but I _really_ want ta meet this woman. I mean, controlling the most fierce predators in nature to do her bidding? That's some seriously freaky shit."

"Indeed."

 _Amara_

Shortly after the panther left her, Amara heard a loud roar break through the silence. After a few seconds, she felt the animals of the forest begin to move around again. She heard birds chirping over head and immediately felt bad for making them be quiet all this time. She saw movement from her peripherals and looked to watch the monkey and her babies, who were attached to her chest again, descend from their nest. She leaned back on her palms, closing her eyes and enjoying the sounds of the forest awakening. The monkey made its way over to her and sat down.

"Are you still pissed at me for the comment I made earlier, monkey?"

The beast shook its head and leered at her.

"Good, because I wouldn't be too happy about you being mad at me. Besides, monkey fur is much too rough to make comfortable clothing anyways."

She ducked just in time as the monkey threw some grass where her hair head had been. Amara laughed good naturedly as she put her hands up in surrender.

"My bad, my bad. You know I'm just messing with ya. What's your name, anyways? I hate calling you monkey, I feel like I'm fucking crazy."

"You talk to animals. You ARE crazy."

Amara laughed again and peered at the animal expectantly.

"My name is Tumbili, my lady."

"And the babies?"

"This one's name is Kike, and the other is named Kiume."

Amara smiled and reached out her hand, pleased when the monkey grasped it and shook it warmly.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching the waves hit the shore. After a while, Amara remembered the situation at hand and sighed frustratingly.

"Do you know what is happening, Tumbili?"

"There are two mutants that wish to speak with you."

"How the hell did you know that?"

"News travels fast in the forest."

Amara rolled her eyes and continued, "Well, _anyways_ I asked T'Challa, I mean the black panther, to bring them to me so I feel them out and see if they're cool or not. You may wanna shimmy back up that tree before they get here. Even though you're an ass I don't want you or the kids to get hurt if a fight starts."

"Thanks for your pathetic attempt at concern, but my being here is to protect you, so I will stay." The finality with which she spoke left no room for argument, and Amara nodded and looked back over the water. She felt the throbbing at the back of her mind again and watched as her other protectors began to file one by one into the clearing. They approached Amara cautiously, each one bowing and introducing themselves.

The lion spoke first, stating its name was Simba. The cougar said its name was Kubwa, then the tiger declared its name was Chui. Lastly, the Jaguar introduced itself as Ndogo. Amara nodded to each of them, committing their names to memory. She looked them each in the eye, whispering a thank you for their protection and service. They bowed again, and spread out, each taking a defensive stance in different areas of the clearing. Kubwa pranced around the small lake to a hill, wanting to have a better view of the future meeting. Simba again perched behind some tall grass off to the right of the lake, not bothering to hide behind it. Chui sauntered over so a sun spot off to Amara's left, seeming to rest but prepared for action if needed. Ndogo climbed Tumbili's tree, much the latter's irritation. Avoiding the monkey's nest, it setteled into a branch directly above Amara, preparing to pounce of the situation called for it. Everyone waited with bated breath for Amara's guests to arrive.

Her senses began to buzz, notifying her of their presence before they even entered the clearing. T'Challa swaggered in first, walking towards Amara and sitting on her other side, staring expectantly at a spot in the woods. Amara heard branches breaking and looked to the same spot. First came a beautiful woman with caramel complexion, similar to Amara's. Her hair was a bright white and hung in straight plaits. Her eyes were a bright blue, and when they happened upon Amara's sitting form, brightened with such friendliness Amara was a little taken aback.

"Maybe there not here to fight…" She thought.

She took in the woman's clothes and noticed that even though she was dressed casual, she was sporting very expensive looking clothing. Her body was slender yet curvy, and Amara could tell she kept herself in great shape. Amara took a whiff and smelled a faint scent of vanilla and sandalwood. She inwardly smiled as she remembered who else had smelt that way. But before she could continue going down memory lane, another branch breaks and the woman takes a step to the side.

Behind her was a ruggedly handsome man. He had thick brown hair and side burns that would normally be comical to Amara and yet she couldn't help thinking it complimented his face nicely. He had broad shoulders and because his clothes were drenched in sweat, she could see the outline of his muscles through his clinging clothing. Without meaning to, Amara leaned forward slightly enjoying the scent the man gave off. He smelt of cigar smoke, and something earthy, she couldn't quite place it. Her eyes roved over his figure, shamelessly checking him out. She again stared into his face, and something began to bother her. Those eyes… They were dark and brooding, yet did not give off the vibe of danger. Instead, they showed such compassion and kindess that seemed so out if character for the man standing in front of her. They looked just like-

Amara shot straight and gasped. All of her protectors were on edge, waiting for her order and trying to see what the strangers had done to distress their mistress.

Confusion passed across Ororo's face. The woman had seemed happy and comfortable just a second ago. She glanced back at Logan, who had the same look on his face as Amara. Ororo eyes widened as she remembered what Logan had told her earlier. The look was recognition. Logan had said he recognized this woman, and apparently she remembered him as well.

Amara's initial look of shock twisted into one of anger. The patterns on her hands and feet began to glow, and the wind began to pick up. The mutants watched in awe as the skies darkened and thunder began to be heard above.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Omg okay so let me just say that this part of the story took me FOREVER to write. I had no idea how I wanted this confrontation to go down, and, since I always dream about how I want the story to continue, my dreams weren't coming up with anything substantial. I wanted it to be badass but as believable as possible. Hopefully I did a good job of that. Please review and let me know how I did. Your opinion honestly means a lot to me, I just want to know how I'm doing, ya know?**_

 _Logan_

As the sky darkened and thunder rumbled above, Logan nervously glanced at Ororo. She shook her head and pointedly looked at Amara. The woman had begun to glow from her hands and her feet, and while the winds picked up around them, she was floating a few feet in the air. Logan looked in her eyes and was shocked to _not_ see her dark pupils. Like Ororo when she called on the elements, Amara's eyes were a solid color. But unlike the weather goddess, her eyes were not white, they were a fierce green. He looked closer and saw them transition in color, first very slowly then more and more rapidly. In fact, as the winds became faster and the thunder boomed louder, her eyes went from gradually transitioning to flashing different colors of green so quickly they became a green blur.

"Well shit."

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

"Darlin' look-"

"Don't. FUCKING. Call. Me. That." With each word Amara muttered, lighting creased the sky, each bolt getting closer and closer to the ground.

"'Ro, can ya get reduce tha size of tha storm? Who knows what tha hell will happen when she can't control it no more."

Ororo nodded and looked up to the sky. Her eyes changed to a fierce white, and she furrowed her brow in concentration. After a few moments, she shook her head and sadly turned to Logan.

"She is much stronger than I am, Logan. Only she has the power to stop it."

"Shit."

Logan took a deep breath and took a few tentative steps towards Amara's floating form, his up in surrender.

"Listen dar- Amara. I don't know what it is I did to ya, but I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? You took all that was fucking important to me and destroyed it and all you can fucking say is you're sorry?!"

"Lookie here, I just told ya I don't remember what tha fuck happened so calm tha fuck down!"

Next thing Logan knew, a lightning bolt shot down from the sky, lighting him up brighter than a Christmas tree. He went flying into the lake, causing it to become electrified as well. With his skeleton being much heavier than the average human's, he began to sink, gone from the surface in a few seconds. Ororo moved to retrieve him when a second bolt of lightning stopped her in her tracks.

"Leave that asshole where he is. He's where he deserves to be."

Ororo shook her head furiously and began to plead with the woman. "Amara, I do not know what it is that he may have did to you in the past, but I can testify that he indeed does not remember."

"Then why the fuck are you here? How do you even know my fucking name?"

"We represent Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Our telepath-"

"The mutant school?"

"Yes, our telepath received an alert concerning your accident the other day, and we want to help you control your powers."

"Bullshit!" Thunder cracked again as more bolts of lightning streaked across the sky.

"That brute is a murderer; the Xavier I read about would never associate with his kind."

"That is not the case, Amara. Charles welcomed him with open arms, and tried to help him discover his past-"

"That man's past is filled with pain and suffering done at his and his associate's hands, he's nothing but a-"

"Pissed off motherfucker." Logan emerged from the lake, his burns and gashes healing quickly. He cracked his neck and slowly released his claws while getting into a fighting stance. Amara gasped when she saw his claws. Confusion flashed across her face, but it was quickly replaced with defiance when he took a step towards her. T'Challa and the other feline protectors bared their teeth as they made a line of defense in front of Amara.

"No!" Amara roared, glaring at her companions. "I want this piece of shit for myself."

Still growling, the cats fell back, still ready to attack if the moment called for it. All that was left in the small space was Amara, Logan, and Ororo. They made a triangle in the clearing, each ready for an attack. They stayed that way for a few moments, Ororo shooting nervous glances between Logan and Amara, Amara glaring daggers at Logan and Logan scowling back at her.

"Ya want a piece of meh? Then fucking take it." Logan took another step towards Amara, smirking as he taunted her.

"Oh I plan to, you heartless motherfucker." The earth began to shake under Logan's feet, and before he could react a giant hole ripped open, swallowing Logan's form. It snapped closed quickly, effectively trapping his body, only leaving his head above ground. Logan gnashed his teeth and struggled to be free but to no avail. Amara grinned wickedly and chuckled.

"Oh, so you're new and improved claws can't help you break free and rip me to shreds? Pity. Let's see how well your stupid ass healing factor works, hm?"

She brought her hand in front of her, palm up and open. She again grinned maniacally at Logan as she slowly began to close her fist. The earth rumbled again, and Ororo could feel the ground shifting under her feet. She looked over at Logan worriedly. He was obviously trying to hold back his screams, but the pain he was in registered on his face. Ororo let out a sob as she watched her friend slowly become crushed in front of her eyes.

"Amara please stop, he does not remember!" Ororo ran to Logan's side, digging with her hands trying to free her friend.

"Knock that shit off weather witch, or I'll make one for you too."

"If ya fucking touch a hair on 'Ro's head I'll gut ya like a fish."

"I think you're mistaken. I think you meant to say you wouldn't do a goddamn thing." She closed her fist more, and Logan roared out in pain. He struggled ferociously, but again to no avail. The winds were at dangerous speeds by now, almost ripping Ororo off the ground. The lake also appeared to be greatly affected; larger and larger waves began to crash against the shore, each time getting closer and closer to Logan's head. Amara's protectors were howling into the heavens above, gnashing their teeth as the storm grew in strength. Tumbili was cowering near a tree, hugging her babies close. A stab of guilt hit Amara's heart, seeing her new friend cower away from her, but she figured there would always be time to apologize. For now, she needed to focus on the problem at hand.

"Because of you, I lost my family. My childhood. MY LIFE. I think this debt has been due much too long. And when I'm done with you, I'm going to pay all your teammates a visit, including your asshole of a brother."

Through her tears and pleadings, Ororo snapped her head up and glanced at Amara questioningly. She then turned back to her friend and asked quizzically, "Logan, you have a brother?"

Logan stared back just as confusedly. He turned his head to again glare at Amara, this time with more curiosity than malice.

"I have a brother?"

During this time, Amara had paused in her gloating to gaze questioningly at the two.

"What did you just call him?"

"Logan, his name is Logan."

Suddenly, the storm dissipated. The skies gradually cleared. The clouds retreated and the hot sun again kissed the forest, peaking through the shade the canopies provided. The patterns on Amara's hands and feet dulled until they were back to their original black coloring. She slowly returned to the ground, landing softly in the sand. She dropped her hands and the ground immediately stopped shaking. She turned away from the two and made her way to the lake shore, calming the water down as she approached. Ororo took this time to release Logan from his prison. She called on the winds to help aid her friend. The air shot down into the cavity, then came shooting back up with such ferocity that Logan went flying into the air. He landed hard with a loud thud. Logan groaned and shifted so that he was lying on his back. His clothes were tattered and ripped, and through the fabric there were deep cuts that had begun to heal. Certain parts of his body had been severely crushed, and it took him multiple minutes of extreme focus and without interruption for his body to heal to the point where he was allowed to move. He sheathed his claws and finally sat up. Ororo gave him a quick hug with a sigh of relief and helped him up. They both turned towards Amara.

The woman had sat down on the edge of the lake, her back to the two. She had wrapped her arms around her legs and was gently rocking. Logan sniffed the air and frowned. He smelt saline. The woman was crying. He chanced a step or two towards her, thought better of it, and simply called out to her.

"Amara?"

"Why did she call you Logan?"

Logan glanced at Ororo, who shrugged her shoulders to indicate she did not understand as well.

"'Cause that's what I call myself?"

"Why? What's the last thing you remember? You know, of before…"

Logan grunted his frustration and went to sit down next to Amara. Ororo sat on her other side.

"Last thing I remember was more like tha first. I was in tha middle of tha Canadian wilderness. I was naked and had no belongin's on meh other than my dog tags, which is tha only way I even knew what my name was."

A moment passed, as Amara let these words sink in.

"May I see them?"

Logan again glanced at Ororo, who nodded her approval. He reached under his tattered shirt and pulled out his chains. Taking them off, he stared at them for a second before handing them to Amara's waiting hand. She wiped her eyes with her other hand, and examined every inch of the tags. After a few minutes of this, she handed Logan his tags back.

"So you don't remember your past?"

"I have these nightmares bout how I got these claws… But other than that, nope. Don't remember nada."

"How long ago was your 'first memory'?"

"I'd say round fifteen years ago. Give or take a few years…"

Amara sighed again and looked out over the water, allowing the gentle sounds of the lake to calm her anguished soul.

"Then I guess I can't really exact my revenge on some poor sap who can't even remember what the fuck he did to me."

A few more tears escaped her eyes, and Amara wiped at them furiously.

"Not that I don't appreciate ya not trying ta kill meh, but may I ask ya why?"

Amara did not respond right away, and Logan began to wonder if he had set her off again. Just before he was deciding to take a few steps back rather than take another lightning bolt, Amara spoke.

"Your name is not Logan."

His head snapped back to look at her with surprise. "Whaddya say?"

"Your name is not Logan." Amara said, this time more forcefully. "Your superior called you James, or Mr. Howlett when he was angry with you. You're brother called you Jimmy. So I guess your real name is James Howlett."

Ororo gasped and stared at Logan worriedly. He had frozen where he sat. "James Howlett. My name is James Howlett." He kept repeating in his mind. Somehow the name did seem familiar, and he could almost see a memory of a boy, presumably his brother when they were little, laughing and calling to him, "Jimmy! Jimmy over here…"

"Logan?"

The memory faded away, and all Logan could see was the worried look of Ororo's and the downturned face of Amara's.

"Logan, are you alright?"

"Yeah, 'Ro, yeah I'm fine. I got lost for a second. Tha name does sound extremely familiar, an' it caused a memory ta resurface of when I was a kid."

She smiled and patted his back comfortingly. Logan nodded his thanks and regarded the woman next to him.

"Is there anythin' else bout my past that ya could tell me?"

Amara looked up with such sadness in her now normal eyes that Logan wished he could immediately retract the question.

She shook her head and answered, "Eventually, I will. But for now, I can't speak about- about what you- what happened. It's just, too much…" The clouds thickened again, and rain began to fall, coordinating with the tears and sobs from Amara. Without thinking, Logan embraced her in a tight hug, trying to share his strength and comfort her. Amara at first shrunk from his touch, but as her sobs increased, her mind retreated and allowed her body to be comforted. She turned her head into Logan's neck, sobbing hysterically and muttering nonsense. Eventually, her body began to stop shaking, and once she caught her breath, she quickly detached herself from Logan's embrace. She glanced at his shirt and smirked while wiping her eyes.

"I did quite a number on your clothes, didn't I?"

"And worse ta my body. Ya put my healing factor to work."

"I'm sorry about all of that shit. My emotions went haywire, and I guess my powers coincide with them. In summary, I'm one freaky ass bitch."

Logan threw back his head and laughed while Ororo grimaced at Amara's language. He patted her back and threw out a 'Here, here!'

Suddenly Amara's head snapped to attention as all of her feline protectors perked up. They began to growl and look off in different directions.

Amara gestured for the panther to approach her, and to both Ororo's and Logan's shock, she began to snarl and mew. The panther answered with a quick roar, and Amara nodded her head. The panther turned to its brethren and a deep rumble came from its throat, causing all the cats to jump into action. They spread out, each heading in a completely different direction.

Amara turned to her fellow mutants with panic in her eyes. "We have visitors. And my friend says they aren't very nice."

Logan nodded and stood up, releasing his claws and grinning. "Well we ain't too nice, neither. 'Ro?"

The weather goddess stood as well, her eyes becoming pure white orbs and the sky beginning to darken. "Speak for yourself, Logan. I'm a very nice person."

Logan rolled his eyes and looked expectantly at Amara. Her eyes had already become the changing green orbs as she began to float again. Her hands and feet began to glow for the second time that day.

"Let's go kick some serious ass."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hello! Sorry this took FOREVER to come out. Writing action is sooooooo hard! Please, please, PLEASE leave me a review! Honestly your opinions would mean the world to me, like and follow. I write this for you guys! Love you all and enjoy the chapter! *Drops the mic and walks off the stage***_

 _Amara_

Logan smirked at her while Ororo nodded.

"My cat buddies left to take out as many of those fuckers as possible."

"Good, they can thin them out while we set up a defensive maneuver. Head towards that rocky hill on tha other side of tha lake. We can have our backs to it so we won't have ta worry bout checkin' them." Logan deduced.

They hurried over to the hill, constantly checking the perimeter for any enemies. Suddenly gunshots began to ring out, and they doubled their speed. A loud roar of pain was heard off to their right, and seconds later a blinding flash of pain shocked Amara's whole body. She screamed in agony and fell to the ground in a heap, breathing heavily.

"Amara?!" Ororo rushed to her side and placed a cooling hand on Amara's brow. Amara waved her off, and struggled to sit up. Her hand brushed her nose, and her eyes widened when they took in the blood that was present there.

"Chui- the tiger is dead. We can expect assholes to our right shortly." She tried to stand up again, only to whimper from the pain. Ororo lightly pushed her back down.

"You've overworked yourself. Just sit and try to recover, Logan and I can handle this."

"Ya damn right we can. Amara, keep yer back against the rocks and keep yer head down, got it?"

Amara stared at Logan confusedly. He had caused her such pain and sorrow in the past, and only minutes ago she was prepared to wipe his existence off the face of the earth. But now he was here, trying to help her, _save_ her for no reason other than he wants to help. "No, there has to be some secret motive I'm not fucking aware of. I know this bastard, probably better than his new friend here. He's manipulative, misleading, and conniving. I won't let my guard down again." She thought, her gaze hardening. Gun shots again rang out, and she was distracted as another wave of sheer pain rocked her body. The blood dripping from her nose began to flow more heavily.

"N- Ndogo, the jaguar has also been fucking killed by those bastards; shitheads will come from the left, too."

"'Ro, take tha left side, I'll take tha right."

Ororo nodded as her eyes became pure white. She looked up to sky as she called on the winds to lift her high above the rocky hill. The sky steadily darkened as rustling was heard coming from all over the edges of the clearing. The sounds of gunshots were deafening, mixed with sounds of growling and cries of pain, both primal and human. All too fast, of the chaos was in front of them, humans and cats flying into the clearing. Amara was shocked to see other animals fighting alongside her original protectors. Some were only slightly lower in the food chain, including jackals, hyenas, and was that a snake wrapped around a guy's neck? A sharp cry from the sky gained her attention, her head snapping up just in time to see a shadow descending down at the speed of light, cracking the skull of an unfortunate soldier. Soldier? Amara looked closer and indeed she understood that her intuition was right. They were equipped with M16s, and their chests were covered with bulletproof vests that displayed the Algerian emblem, a gold badge that caught the sunlight.

"They're soldiers? Fuck they're goddamn soldiers!"

Neither Logan nor Ororo had heard her, as once the chaos had broken into the clearing they, or more accurately Logan, had literally thrown themselves into the fray. Logan was grinning widely as he hacked and slashed his way through scores of unprepared men. Ororo was the more serious of the two, using the power of the elements to strike the men where they stood, and throwing them against each other.

Though they were fighting remarkably well if Amara would admit it, men kept filing into the clearing. Pain kept racking her body as one after another of her creations fell. It was too much pain, too much suffering, she had to stop it. Her eyes felt funny again as she struggled to get up. Using the rocky wall behind for support, she just managed to stand up.

"Maybe a quick little earthquake thingy should shake these assholes for good-"

Click. Amara froze as she heard the tell-tale sound of the safety being pulled back on a pistol.

"Move, bitch, and I'm putting one right between the eyes."

She turned slightly and stared down the barrel of a .9 mm. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes took in the gunman. His medals indicated his high rankings, and she surmised he was the leader of the attack. The man was white and in his mid- fifties. He had a long gray beard that stretched down to his collar, and she couldn't help but stare at the multiple scars across his face. His graying hair was tucked under his cap, which also had the same badge she saw on the dwindling number of soldiers in the clearing. She took a closer look, and saw a golden crescent at the top of the badge, covered by two guns coming to a point towards the sky. She mentally shook her head; she had to focus on getting rid of this asshole. Her forest mates needed her.

"Get that piece of shit out of my face before you hurt yourself."

The man smirked and before she could react he shot her in her upper right shoulder. There was a small gust of wind, and the bullet passed through cleanly, though Amara's thoughts were not focusing on the good news. Amara was thrown by the contact to the ground and she shrieked at the pain. The man roughly pulled her back up and put her in front of him facing the chaos of the battle. He jammed the gun to her temple and screamed to get everyone's attention.

 _Logan_

Crack. There goes another broken bone. "Poor bastard, don't know what he got himself inta." Logan quickly dodged an array of bullets by using another unsuspecting soldier as cover. He pushed the body to the side as he lunged into the gunmen, plunging his claws deep into his chest. He rolled to his left dodging a stab from a more skilled opponent. He paused a second to evaluate what he was up against, noting the height and weight difference. The man swiped his knife through the air menacingly and took a step towards Logan. The look of surprise was glued permanently to his face as Logan had kicked his legs from under him and delivered a quick swipe across the man's throat in a few seconds. Logan stood quickly, on the ready for another attack, and heard a loud yell.

"Everybody calm the fuck down or the bitch dies!"

Logan searched for the source of the voice and noticed both humans and animals alike were staring towards the rocky hill he had left Amara at. His heart began to quicken as he made his way towards the front of the battle line, stopping in his tracks at the scene in front of him.

Ororo landed next to him and placed a staying hand on his forearm as he was seconds away from plunging his claws into the man's throat. The man had a tight grip on Amara, using her as a body shield as a he took a few steps forward. A pistol was pressed against her temple, and the look on the man's face was daring Logan to take one step, give him one reason to pull the trigger. A growl escaped from deep in his throat. It grew in intensity when Logan was scanning Amara and saw the blood soaking her tattered shirt near her right shoulder. The bastard had already shot her, and the longer they stood out here the more blood she lost.

"Now here's how this little altercation is going to go down. You and your bunch of freaks are going to step aside, and me and the rest of my men are going to waltz right out of this hell hole and bring this beauty in to my employer". He gestured with his head and his men began filing out of the clearing, licking their wounds and collecting the dead. In a few minutes the clearing was mostly clear except for three mutants, a gunman, and a gaggle of nature's animals.

"Good, now call off the cavalry, bitch."

"Fuck you."

He quickly prodded her wound forcefully, forcing another screech to escape her lips. "I said now."

Amara hissed in anger and yelled, "Go the fuck on! Go gather our fallen brethren, take care of yourselves," She paused for a second and took a shaky breath, "And… Thank you."

The animals began to clear out; many glaring at the man with such fierceness that Amara had no doubt that she was indeed the one who created them. Finally the clearing only had four occupants.

"Alright, see now was that so hard, bitch? See what happens when you listen to little ol' me?"

"I'm gonna fuck you up."

"Not if I get ta him first, darlin'."

"Nah, any of you so much as twitch and I'm pulling this trigger. My orders are simply to bring her back. Doesn't matter if she's still breathing or full of bullet holes."

Logan bared his teeth and began to see red. The Wolverine hated feeling helpless, and the urge to watch the life leave this man's body was becoming overwhelming. A whimper came from Amara and he immediately calmed down. Her face was a mask of pure agony, seeing as the man had not removed his hand from the hole that was ripped through her shoulder. He didn't know what it was about this woman, whether it was how she had information on his past, or her bluntness that he just couldn't help but admire. But either way, Logan and the Wolverine were drawn to her, and knowing that if he did anything menacing she could die was driving him crazy.

"Okay, freaks. Your turn. You're going take a few steps back, and- what the fuck do you call it- _depower_ yourselves. And escort me right out of here to my men."

"If you think we are going to let you go with our friend, you must be an idiot." Ororo snapped, eyes returning to their normal color.

"I'm wit ya on that, 'Ro." Logan agreed, sheathing his claws slowly.

"I don't give two flying shits about what you _think_ you're going to do. I'm telling what you're _going_ to do, or else your friend here is getting a nice bullet implant."

"Fuck you, dickhead." Amara yowled again, as the man jabbed her wound after her outburst.

"I gotta admit, your constant cussing is definitely turning me on, little lady. Just wait til we get back, the things I'm going to do to you…" He removed his hand from her wound and gently traced her arm down to her hand and back up, purring into her ear.

Logan growled again and his knuckles itched to release his claws, wanting to rip the man's throat out.

"Alrighty, folks, I think we've out worn each other's welcome, time to move out! Man with the weird ass claws and anger issues first, then the white haired black woman. Single file, and if either of you turn around, I shoot. Got it? Good! Move!"

Logan walked in the direction the man indicated, taking deep breaths to keep his anger in check. If he turned the slightest bit, he would risk Amara's life. His mind worked lighting fast, trying to find a solution to this. He knew the man had waited a few minutes before following the two, and his senses were working overtime trying to determine just how far back the asshole was. If he could just get the gun away from the shithead- He heard a grunt and a loud scuffle behind him. Someone howled in pain, and a few seconds later a shot rang out. He unsheathed his claws and rushed past a worried Ororo.

"AMARA?!"

 _Amara_

She was getting weak, she lost too much blood. Her eyes were becoming heavy and her walking was becoming more and more clumsy. The man grabbed her roughly as she tripped and almost fell on her face.

"Another fall like that, and I'm going to have to take you right here and now my dear…" His hand slid down past her waist, grasping her from behind.

Amara's mind was seized with anger and terror, she couldn't allow herself to be captured, she needed to escape and fast. She continued to stumble along, wondering how in the hell she was going to escape a gun pointed at her back. Suddenly an idea came to her and she quickly analyzed it, weighing the pros and cons. There was still a chance she could get shot, but she was already in so much pain that she didn't think it could get any worse. She took a deep breath and set the plan in motion.

Amara fell again, except this time she went limp.

"Shit, the bitch passed out." The man mumbled, crouching to gather her in his arms. Lightning fast, Amara gathered what little strength she had left and kicked the man in the groin. He screamed in pain and dropped to the ground, releasing his grip on both Amara and the gun. She grasped for it, only to have the wind knocked out of her by a swift kick to the gut. The man had recovered and straddled her as he threw punch after punch. Amara lifted her arms to deflect most of his attacks, trying to create a backup plan. She momentarily thought about using her powers to blast this guy a new asshole, but her thoughts were interrupted when the man's hands closed over her throat. Amara clawed at his fingers, his arms, his face, trying anything to get him to release her. Her brain needed oxygen, and the lack of it was starting to take its toll. Her fighting slowed and weakened and she was on the brink of losing consciousness. The man's angry face began to blur, and the forest began to fade.

Amara inwardly gasped as her hands, with a mind of their own, made their way back up to the man's face. They grabbed his nose and twisted with more strength then her body actually had, eliciting the most pain. The man abruptly released his grip on her throat, howling as he grasped at his broken nose. Amara scrambled as far away as she could, coughing and gasping as she inhaled as much oxygen as possible. She began frantically searching for the gun, knowing she only had a few seconds before he recovered. She turned back towards him and cursed. She was looking down the barrel of his gun, again.

The man smiled, the blood flowing from his nose dripping down his beard and staining his shirt. He aimed the gun at her head and hissed, "Shouldn't have fucked with me bitch."

Amara closed her eyes as the man pulled the trigger.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Okay guys I'm baaaaaaack! *does jazz hands* So I FINALLY got one review, and I hope you don't mind calling you out, but they told me that they were more into RoLo fics, but that they thought my story was interesting. First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING MY STORY!I really do depend on whether or not people are reading it to continue or not. And let me just say that I love RoLo fics, and have always wanted to write one. But I figured I wouldn't be able to capture their dynamic seeing as I only have watched the movies and have not really seen them interact. But there are only a gazillion Logan centered films, so I thought I could capture his character a whole lot better. But anyways, sorry for the rant but I'm just a little excited. So sorry for the intense scenes last chapter, but I also have a few in here too so you were warned this time! Enjoy this chapter and leave a review!**_

 _Logan_

Logan watched in horror as the man pulled the trigger and Amara's head snapped back. He didn't even get a chance to watch as her body sprawled out on the ground. Logan immediately saw red. He roared and charged the man, who had been swaggering to Amara's body triumphantly. He turned in fear and pointed his gun at Logan, emptying his clip into Logan's chest in rapid succession. The Wolverine did not slow down, and in seconds had tackled the man and repeatedly pummeled him in the face, claws sheathed. Wolverine did not just want to kill this man; he wanted him to suffer first. Again and again adamantium laced fists assaulted down, and eventually a resounding crack rang out. As his vision started to clear and he regained control, Logan looked down at the man and saw he had crushed the man's skull. He inwardly cursed to himself, wondering at how easily he had lost control over his emotions. As Ororo broke through the brush, he immediately remembered why and rushed to Amara's body. He stooped down and his eyes were at once drawn her head, dreading the gore he expected to see. He gasped and gestured for Ororo to come over.

"'Ro, when I broke through the clearin', he had a gun pointed at her head and pulled tha trigger. But ya notice somethin' off?"

Ororo paused for a second, examining Amara's body before her eyes widened. "She has no other gunshot wounds other than the one in her shoulder. But how is that possible? You said he had pointed it at her head, correct?"

"He had it inches from her forehead, her brains should be splattered everywhere." He placed two fingers on her neck, and was relieved to feel Amara's pulse, though it was a little weak. Ororo stood and began searching for something on the ground.

"'Ro, what are ya-"

"Found it!" Ororo rushed a few yards away. She knelt down and picked something up; it caught the sunlight and caught Logan's attention. She walked over and dropped it into Logan's hand. He lifted it closer to his face and examined it.

"'Ro, this bullet's head is completely flattened, like it ran inta somethin' as solid as my bones."

"But how-"

" **Ororo? Logan? Can you hear me?"** Both Ororo and Logan looked at each other quizzically, recognizing Hank's voice in their minds. They had been so distracted by recent events that they had not realized the absence of their mental comlink.

" **Yes, Hank, we can hear you."**

" **Oh thank god! Are you alright, Ororo?"**

" **Yes, yes I'm fine."**

" **Yeah I'm fine too, bub. Thanks for askin'."**

" **Oh leave Hank alone, Logan. We have been trying to reach you for ages. Once you entered the forest, all communications stopped."**

" **Well that's weird as shit."**

" **Indeed."**

" **But Emma, how could that be? I mean you are connecting through Cerebro, how did we disconnect like that?"**

" **I don't know how to explain it, Ororo. I was monitoring you two and the men in the desert when suddenly it was like you disappeared behind a wall. The feeling felt familiar, like when I've tried to enter Jean or the Professor's mind when they were practicing their psych defenses. Theirs were strong, but this was stronger. I've felt anything like it…"**

Logan and Ororo both stared at Amara's unconscious form, watching her deep breaths for a few seconds.

" **Emma, I think our girl here did that."**

" **What? But that's impossible. No one has ever done been able to project-"**

" **Yeah well I'm startin' to get the impression that this woman is more unique than any of us could fuckin' guess."**

A crunch alerted Logan's senses that they may not be alone anymore, and his mind snapped back to the situation at hand.

" **Look, forget bout that now, Emma I need ya to monitor the men outside tha forest. I killed their commander an' it's only a matter of time 'fore they come lookin' for him."**

" **Alright, I'll let you know of any developments. Be safe."**

" **Thanks, blondie. Didn't know ya cared so much."**

" **Just shut up and get back on the jet!"** Emma snapped.

Logan grinned as he scooped Amara up in his arms.

"'Ro I need ya in the skies to provide us cover. We could fight 'em off, but Amara has lost way too much blood. We need to get her to Hank as soon as possible."

Ororo nodded and looked up to sky, quickly disappearing above the canopy of trees.

"Arright darlin', just stay wit meh."

He took off to the west, silently praising his heightened sense of direction. He heard footsteps behind him and inwardly cursed at sending 'Ro up so soon. He couldn't risk getting into a scuffle with one of the stragglers left in the forest, not with Amara unconscious in his arms. He picked up his speed and was dismayed to hear his pursuers do the same. "Enough of this shit!" Logan thought, "If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get." He gently hid Amara behind a protruding root and took a defensive stance, unsheathing his claws. The footsteps grew louder as they approached their targets. Logan senses determined there were two assailants, one much faster and more precise while the other had a strange sounding gait. Just before they came into view they stopped.

"Well what the fuck are ya waitin' for? Get yer asses out here so I can skew ya."

The black panther stalked out from the shadows, with an arrogant air about him. Following close behind was the monkey with two babies attached to her chest Logan had seen sitting next to Amara earlier. The monkey started waving her arms and screeching at Logan, and he could only assume that he was being severely scolded. He rolled his eyes and retrieved Amara from her hiding place. Both the panther and monkey's demeanor changed: they both trotted over to see their friend. The monkey gently petted Amara's hair and began picking out the twigs and grass. The panther licked her face, and lightly nibbled at her hand.

"Look, I know ya guys care for her an' all, but I gotta get her help before she bleeds out, so if ya excused meh." Logan picked Amara up again, cradling her to his chest. Though the seriousness of the present situation was well aware to him, he couldn't stop the wave of joy he felt once he had her in his arms. He smiled down at her as he began picking his way through the brush. He had been running for a few minutes, and knew he was on the edge of the forest. He heard sounds behind him and turned to see both animals had started following him again.

"Can't ya guys go fuck off? Go scratch yer asses and whatnot, we got this." Logan turned around again and jogged off. Again he heard footsteps behind him. With a grunt of frustration he turned around and was about to throw a string of curses at the two when he took in their faces. Their eyes broke the language barrier between them, he saw the fear and worry in them, and he could feel the determination coming off in waves. And besides, the way the monkey was sizing him up he figured he'd be in for another scolding if he even tried to stop them again. He sighed and took off again, picking up his speed when he felt Amara's blood dripping down his arms. If she bled out- no. He wouldn't allow that to happen.

He saw sand through the foliage ahead and knew he had reached the edge.

"' **Ro?"**

" **Yes Logan?"**

" **I'm approaching the edge."**

" **Copy that, providing cover now."** A thick fog descended onto the ground ahead, and a moment later Logan broke through the last of the foliage, the two animals on his heels.

" **Logan, the men have not entered the forest, but their camp is directly in your way to reaching the jet. You'll have to find a way around."**

" **Well can't ya just zap their minds or something, Emma? Tha girl's bleedin' out, I don't have time to go around."**

" **You have to remember I am not as strong as Charles, Logan. I could not perform a mental attack against all of them at once. It would take hours for me to do that."**

" **Well what bout ya, 'Ro. Can't ya call on a tornado or somethin' and send these guys packin'?"**

" **I have expended the majority of my energy in the fight back at the clearing. I'm afraid a storm of that magnitude is out of the question."**

" **Shit."** Logan's mind raced as he pounded through the sand. He saw the outline of the camp and decided that going around was the best option; they didn't have time for a fight. He made a hard left and gave the camp a wide berth. The fog may have been doing the trick so far, but he didn't know what type of equipment the men had and he was not interested in finding out.

" **I can't see shit, Emma."**

" **You're doing fine, none of the men are close to you, keep going in that direction a few more feet- yup almost- now turn to right and head down the hill. Ororo, begin your descent but keep out of sight. Once both of them reach the jet, Hank, see to our guest and do as much as you can for her. Ororo, man the jet and stay in stealth mode. These men have anti- aircraft weapons."**

" **An' we don't got a high enough budget to buy us any new toys."**

Logan flew down the hill and almost ran a waiting Hank over on the ramp. Hank quickly gestured where he wanted Logan to place Amara on the floor. Once she was settled Hank immediately checked her vitals, oblivious to his surroundings. Ororo landed not too far away and sped to the pilot's seat. She closed the ramp and started the engines. Logan rushed to his seat and strapped himself, mildly wondering what the big cat and the ape were going to do. They were presently hovering over Amara's still body, occasionally glaring at the man poking and prodding her. With a slight jolt the jet took off into the sky, thankfully not gaining the attention of the men far below. After a few minutes Logan heard Ororo sigh and physically relax.

"Shit!"

Logan's head snapped up and quickly unbuckled himself.

"What happenin' Hank what's wrong?"

"She's lost too much blood, Logan. I need to do a transfusion."

"Well fucking do one then!"

"It's not like I have pools of blood available to me at the moment."

"If you don't fucking do somethin', Hank-"

"Both of you stop fighting! You're just wasting time." Ororo switched on the auto pilot and rushed over.

Both of them looked at Ororo and hung their heads.

"I need to close this wound but I don't have the necessary equipment."

"There has to be some way for you to help her, Hank."

"My dear, unless there is some fast acting coagulant, spare tissue, and some stitches and a needle on this jet that I don't know about-"

"Use me."

Both Ororo and Hank looked at Logan skeptically.

"Logan, what on earth could you possibly-"

Logan cut off Hank again as he tore off his shirt and sat in the seat above Amara's body on the floor. "My healin' properties come from my blood. I'm gonna cut myself and Hank, yer gonna collect as much as possible and put it on her wound and inta her system."

"Logan, that is noble but if her body does not accept your blood type, she could die."

Silence rang for a few beats while everyone let this sink in.

"If we do not do something now, she will anyways." Ororo muttered, her hand covering her mouth in worry.

"We have no choice, furball." Logan stared into Hank's eyes, nodding at the surrender in them.

"Okay, fine. But we have to work fast. Ororo grab some gauze and put pressure on the wound, no use in letting her lose more blood. Logan, I need you to cut your Ulnar artery in your wrist; we need as much blood as possible in a short time. Keep over this funnel and make sure it goes into this IV bag. Yup just like that- you're healing, cut again. Perfect."

Once the bag was filled, Hank waved Ororo away and flipped Amara onto her stomach. With a quick swipe with his claws Hanks ripped a hole through her shirt and quickly disinfected the wound.

"Okay, now try to aim the drops directly on the edges of the gunshot. We need to get this hole closed before we hook her up to the IV."

They all held their breath, and the only sounds Logan could hear were Amara's ragged breathing and the blood drops landing on her shoulder. He put his wrist closer and re-cut himself, trying to keep the artery open. He looked for any signs that Amara's body was rebuilding itself, praying for a miracle. A few moments passed, and with each second, Logan's heart beat faster. If this didn't work-

"There! Do you see it?!"

"See what?" Hank and Ororo screamed together, crowding to get a better look.

"Her shoulder is rebuilding itself… Thank God!" Amara's skin was quickly weaving back together, and within seconds her back was as good as new.

Ororo collapsed with relief while Hank gave a whoop of joy and a grin broke across Logan's face.

"Okay, now we just flip her over and inject the IV. She will defintely make it to the mansion, if not be almost completely healed by then…You saved her life, Logan." Hank clapped Logan's back warmly and moved to gently readjust Amara's body.

Logan walked back towards the front of the jet, still grinning as he passed Amara's companions and sat back down in his seat. He barely noticed his wrist healing as he buckled himself back in. Sighing tiredly, Logan laid his head back. He closed his eyes again and smiled wider as his whispered four words that made the whole day seem brighter.

"I saved her life…"


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay sorry this took so long! This chapter is more of a filler, still some action but not too much. Please leave a review, they let me know people still want to read my story! *Beyonce voice* If you like it than should leave a review… Okay I'm sorry I'll stop now. Enjoy!**

 _Logan_

It had been five days since they had saved Amara. Five whole days. And throughout those five days, Logan had envisioned how many times he could drop her ass right back where she had come from. The woman proved that one did not need to even be conscious to get on Logan's nerves. That had to be a new record.

When they had landed back at the mansion, Amara's wounds had almost completely healed; even her gunshot had diminished to a tiny incision on her shoulder. And yet, her breathing was still ragged and she had not stirred. They had rushed her to the medical wing, and Hank hastened to hook her up to a machine so he could more thoroughly check what state she was in.

"Her blood pressure is fine, heart rate normal, and even though I haven't performed a cat scan, her body seems to be healing quickly."

"Then why hasn't she woken up yet, Hank?" Ororo asked, laying a soft hand on Amara's brow. She quickly took her hand back and gasped. "Hank, her skin is cold to the touch, what is her body temperature?"

Hank glanced at a screen and replied, "98.6 degrees Fahrenheit." He rushed over to put a blue paw on Amara's forehead. "My machine must be malfunctioning, her head is freezing. Let's move her to my room next door; it's much warmer in there. Ororo, could you please grab some blankets and make some hot soup? At this temperature she could have hypothermia, so the sooner we warm her up, the better."

Ororo sprinted out the door, and Hank picked Amara up with little difficulty and carefully brought her to his room, laying her gently on his bed. He pulled back the sheets and tucked her in, cautiously pulling her arms out and bringing the blanket up to her chin. He hurriedly went back into the medical room and grabbed a filled IV bag and gestured for Logan to follow him.

"I need you to monitor her temperature as I run checks on my machine. It's no use having it if it doesn't work correctly. When Ororo returns I'll be back to check her vitals again. If it feels like it's going down even the slightest bit, call me." He injected a needled into her arm and double checked to make sure the bag was working properly. With a confirming nod he left.

Logan nodded back and watched Hank's retreating form. He turned his attention to his patient, watching as shaky breath after shaky breath rocked Amara's body. He gently caressed her forehead, frowning at how cold she felt. He stared at her face and couldn't stop himself from admiring. She looked peaceful, an improvement from the permanent scowl she had plastered on her face continuously throughout the day. With slight hesitation, Logan moved his hand from her forehead and gently caressed the side of her face. Her skin was incredibly soft, and he inwardly sighed at being able to touch her. His fingers outlined her mouth and traced her jaw line. He wanted to memorize her face, and her skin was just so warm-

"What tha hell?" Logan whispered.

He brought his hands back to her forehead, feeling how her temperature had not changed from earlier. He then mimicked his actions, carefully bringing his hand down the side of her face. He took a sharp breath as he noticed the drastic temperature different.

"Hank!"

Hank busted through the door and hastened to Logan's side.

"What is it what's wrong?"

"Feel her forehead, Hank."

Hank dutifully obliged and didn't react, stating, "She feels the same as before Logan. What could possibly-"

Logan held up his hand, cutting Hank off. "Now put yer hand on tha side of her face."

Again Hank complied, except this time there was a reaction. "She seems normal." He began tracing the rest of head, gently probing here and there. He rolled up her sleeves and petted both of her arms, and then felt the temperature around her neck.

"Logan, this is extremely strange. Her temperature feels perfectly normal everywhere else except for the upper parts of her head. It's as if the only part of her body that is cold is her brain."

"I'm guessin' that's not physically possible?"

"Indeed it is not."

"Figures."

Ororo skidded into the room, barely balancing a bowl full of hot soup in one hand and a load of blankets in another.

"How is she?"

"Her body is confused temperaturely, 'Ro."

Ororo gave Logan a questioning look as she placed the bowl on the night stand beside Amara.

"What Logan meant to say, is that her body temperature is normal. The only part of her that is cold is around her forehead, in which I deduced the chill must be coming from her brain."

"This woman never ceases to amaze me," Ororo muttered, lovingly looking down at the woman.

"Yea, an' make my life just a tad more difficult e'ery time."

"Oh hush, Logan." She smacked Logan's arms lightly and turned her attention back to Hank.

"We should get Emma, she might be able to help, or at least give a theory as to how this is happening."

"Good idea, dear. I'll go call her now."

Hank left the room and Ororo and Logan could hear him having a hushed conversation into his phone.

Logan sat at the foot of the bed, careful to avoid Amara's feet. He inwardly sighed and stared at her intently.

"You know, Logan. She is giving you a run for your money on being the most unique mutant here." Ororo smirked at her friend, enjoying the scowl that appeared there. Logan didn't answer and she moved to sit next to him.

"I see how you look at her, Logan." Her statement was not suggestive; it was simply an observation, one that Ororo expected a response from. He turned to stare at her and noticed the serious look she had on her face.

He sighed again and replied, "I have a brother, 'Ro. I didn't- I didn't even know that. Hell, I didn't even know my fuckin' name. It's like all these years, I've been livin' some fucked up lie…" He trailed off, closing his eyes to bring his emotions in check.

Ororo put her arm around Logan's shoulders, bringing him in for a hug.

"Your life is NOT a lie. You have saved almost everyone here at least once. You've sacrificed your happiness to save the world. You provide strength to everyone here, even without doing anything. Your past may be dark, but it doesn't define you. Who cares if your name is James Howlett? You will always be Logan to me. As for your brother? You'll find him, WE'LL find him. Don't you dare think you're alone in this."

Logan smiled and released himself from Ororo's hold.

"Can I expect a lightning bolt if I do?"

Ororo smiled mischievously and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe, maybe not."

With the thought of a lightning bolt brought up, he again stared at Amara. Ororo glanced between the two, and as if reading his mind, said, "Whatever you did, whatever you took part of, it's in the past. You're a different man than you were then. She'll forgive you."

Logan remembered the look of pure hatred on Amara's face before she had electrocuted him.

"I highly doubt that, 'Ro. I'm- I'm gonna go get some air," Logan replied, quickly getting up and exiting the room. Hank looked up from his computer, throwing Logan a questioning glance. Logan ignored him and strode out of the medical wing, heading to the elevator that would take him back up to the mansion. With a ping the doors opened and revealed an impassive Emma.

"Where are you off to, going to go roll around in the mud?"

"Only if ya'll come join meh." Though Logan instantly flirted back, his mind was troubled, and the usually humorous tone in his voice was absent. He brushed passed her and hit the button to go upstairs, dismissing the worried look Emma had as the doors closed. He walked out into the hallway on the first floor of the mansion and paused at what he heard. More specifically, what he _didn't_ hear. He had forgotten all about the kids going home, hell, he even forgot to check on Marie as much as he usually did.

"Bustin' Iceman's balls, that'll be tha perfect thing to occupy my mind." He thought, making his way to his room.

 _Ororo_

"What's wrong with her?" Emma asked, breezing into the room.

"Something with her mind, Emma. Her brain is emitting extreme cold, and we're afraid of what the damage of the temperature difference may be doing to her body." Hank answered.

Emma knelt down and placed her hand on Amara's brow, nodding her understanding.

"She must be having some type of psychic inner battle in her head. I'll see what I can do."

Emma cupped both sides of Amara's head and closed her eyes. For a few seconds no one moved, as both Ororo and Hank looked on. Emma's face began to contort in pain, and her body began to shiver violently. Ororo quickly grasped Emma's shoulders, trying to steady her.

"Hank! She's cold to the touch!"

"Amara's battle must have entered Emma completely. Emma, you must let go!"

The ground began to shake underneath their feet, and Hank shakily took a few steps towards his window. He surveyed the grounds and gasped at the cracks forming along the lawn. A fierce tremor threw both him and Ororo across the room, rendering them both unconscious.

 _Logan_

"Arright, kid, now ya better behave, ya got me?"

"Yeah Logan, Ah got it."

"Good now put popsicle on."

Suddenly, something just didn't feel right. He stood up off of his bed and placed the phone on his nightstand.

"L-L-Logan? We're being real good Logan. I-I did what you said and everything. Please don't-"

Logan hung up and took a few tentative steps towards his door. He took a deep breath, trying to pinpoint what exactly has his defenses up. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he exited his room and walked back down stairs. He called out down the hallway, and got no response.

"Odd, they must still be in the medial wing." Logan ducked into the hidden elevator and had just closed the door when the rocking first started. The elevator stopped on the basement floor in time, but before the doors could open another tremor shook the mansion, causing the power to go out.

"Shit!" Logan exclaimed, bashing repeatedly on the stainless steel doors. "Fuck this shit."

He unsheathed his claws and began swiping at the doors, fighting to keep his balance throughout the earthquake. He squeezed through and rushed to the medical wing. The room was a mess; medical supplies littered the floor everywhere. Logan grasped the wall as the earth shook again, barely dodging Hank's computer as it went flying at him. Logan fought his way to Hank's door and paused briefly when he felt a cool draft coming from behind it. He shook his head and busted in, then gasped at the scene before him.

There was ice everywhere, and Logan barely managed to catch himself before he slipped. He looked off to his right and saw both Ororo and Hank's still forms. He half skated half slid over to the side of the room, checking their pulses. He sighed gratefully when he saw the white clouds coming from their noses. He carefully stood up using the wall for support and made his way over to Emma and Amara. Before he could reach them a strong quaver shook the room, the biggest one yet. Emma flew back into Logan, as if repulsed by some unknown foe. He was swept backwards with her and landed with a umph on top of Hank and Ororo.

"Emma, what tha hell is goin' on?!"

Emma fought against Logan for a few moments before she became aware of her surroundings. She struggled to stand up and reached a hand down to help her friend. "It's Amara. She's having some sort of nightmare. I tried to gain access into her mind, and she shut me out. I tried again and she attacked me."

Logan glanced at Amara's body and mentioned how she hadn't moved from the position he had seen her before.

"She did not attack me physically. She attacked me _mentally_. I've never been so challenged in my life. It's like her mind was a hand, and she just grasped my mind and squeezed and squeezed- It was so cold, Logan. Her thoughts, her feelings, everything was just so cold and distant… I felt like I was stuck in ice, and was slowly freezing to death. I tried to fight it off, I tried- I tried but-" Emma collapsed onto the ground, sobbing. Logan knelt down and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"It's alright darlin', it's over now. That mental battle did not just happen 'tween the two of ya. Look around, she caused an earthquake and froze the whole damn room."

Emma wiped her eyes and surveyed the area.

"I will never attempt to enter her mind again. I just- I just can't!" Emma stood abruptly and rushed out of the room.

"Shit." Logan knelt down and gently shook Hank. When he got no response, he began slapping his face, each time harder than the last. He'd be lying if he said this wasn't just a little fun. Finally Hank groaned and shifted away from Logan's onslaught.

"Logan, what happened?" He looked over to Ororo and scurried to her side. "My dear?"

He gently caressed her face until her eyes fluttered open.

"Hank? Ugh, what happened?" She moaned, rubbing her head as she sat up.

"Well, Ms. Pain in my ass over there had some psychic battle with blondie. She caused an earthquake, froze the room, and scared the shit outta Emma. I'm beginning to think she more trouble than she worth."

"And I'm beginning to think you're more of a fucking asshole than I thought," A voice piped up, and all three mutants turned to acknowledge it.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Sorry. I feel like that word is literally always at the beginning of my chapters. My bad. Anyways, yeah I know this took forever, but give me a break. I am literally writing this chapter by chapter and have NO IDEA where I'm going. I was afraid this chapter was going to be extremely short, but it actually is one of my longest ones. Little Logan, but way more Ororo and Amara bonding. Please leave a review, let me know how I'm doing, whether you like it, hate it, hate me, wanna throw me off a bridge you know the usual. But if you could, if you have a suggestion for things to happen in the story in the future, whether plot lines or simple one liners, I'll do my best to incorporate them. Anyways sorry for ranting, and now for our regularly scheduled program…**_

 _Amara_

All three mutants just sat and stared at the figure on the bed. Amara had sat up, and was gently rubbing her temple with her left hand.

"What the fuck happened? I feel like I got ran over by a bus. Twice." She attempted to remove the IV in her arm, but was stopped as a sharp pain shot through her right side, starting at her shoulder. She glanced down and saw the blood soaked hole in her shirt, and images of what happened flashed through her mind. The forest. The battle. The pain. The man. The shot…

Her eyes widened in panic and both her hands rushed to her head. She winced at the pain, but otherwise ignored it. She gingerly traced her face, searching for where the bullet hit.

"It didn't hit ya."

She stopped her search and focused on Logan quizzically.

"The bullet, it didn't hit ya. Somethin' stopped it."

"How the fuck is that possible, the bastard had it pointed right at me…?"

"We have no idea either, Amara," Ororo said, walking over to the bed gingerly and sitting next to her, "But whatever it was, it saved your life."

She patted her fingers comfortingly and gave her a small smile. Amara did not know much about these people, but she knew she liked this woman. She had such compassion and kindness in her. Amara has met a lot of bad people in her lifetime, and none of them had a heart for complete strangers, not like this woman. Maybe it won't be so bad here, she thought. Wait, where was here anyways?

"Where the fuck am I?"

Ororo winced at the woman's language, again, and answered, "Westchester, New York. This is the medical bay underneath the school."

"Xavier's school?"

Ororo nodded , "Yes, child. Though the bullet was indeed stopped by some unknown force, the impact it carried still hit you, knocking you into unconsciousness. We snuck you past the rest of the men and brought you here to tend to your wounds," She glanced at Logan and returned her gaze to Amara.

Amara remained silent, also regarding the man before her. Logan had his arms crossed and the vibe he expressed was a mixture between distrust and relief. Amara tried to turn her gaze away, but her eyes had a mind of their own. They wouldn't stop taking in everything about his form, the muscle in his arms and how they flexed in tension underneath his shirt. His scowl actually complemented his features, but Amara would be lying if she said she didn't want to see him smile again. Stop it, she thought. You know what this man is, what he's capable of. Remember what he fucking did to you. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him.

"The fuck are you doing here?"

Logan seemed taken aback by her question, and she could have sworn she saw hurt register across his face. But it only lasted for a moment, and it was replaced with anger.

"Tha fuck ya just say ta meh?"

"I don't think I fucking stuttered. And I know all animals have a heightened sense of hearing, so I know you damn well heard me."

Logan growled and took a threatening step towards her.

"Ya wanna try pissing meh off again, woman? Next time I won't be so nice."

Amara smirked and brought her head back defiantly, "Neither will I, shithead."

The air was tense, both of them curling their fists and glaring daggers at each other, daring the other one to make the first move. Hank quickly intervened, grabbing Logan shoulders from behind. Logan closed his eyes and took a few breaths, checking his temper. After a few moments he opened them again, and with one last glower, shrugged Hank's grasp off and shouldered his way through the door. Good riddance, Amara thought. After watching Logan's exit, her eyes focused on movement from the shadows where Logan had been standing.

"Let's just calm down, ok? Amara, I would like to check your vitals again if you don't-"

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"

Hank had emerged from the darkness, and a look of sheer terror erupted on Amara's face.

"Dude, you're- you're- you're motherfucking blue! And furry? You're huge. What the actual fuck…"

Hank took a tentative towards her but stopped as Amara's body cowered away from him.

"If you're gonna eat me, at least put some damn seasoning on me; I won't be so smooth going down. Maybe put me over a nice fire, get my flesh nice and tender, you know that fall off the bone texture-"

Ororo placed a calming hand on Amara's arm.

"Amara, this is Hank McCoy. He's been taking care of you. As you can see, he is also a mutant. Only difference is his mutation is more physical than the rest of ours."

Amara glanced at the man, or better yet, beast before her. She took in his size and shuddered to think of the raw strength he must have. But then she stared into his eyes, and he saw the same thing as she did in Ororo's. Compassion. Worry. It didn't matter that she just insulted him; he still cared about the well being of a complete stranger. What drugs are these people on, she thought.

Amara mumbled a quiet sorry and began surveying her surroundings. Suddenly she shuddered and felt goose bumps rise over her skin. She took a deep breath and gasped at the white cloud she breathed out. She noticed how the room was dark, except for the few shards of sunlight escaping through the windows, and she wondered why there was this blue tint coming off of, well, everything.

As if reading her thoughts, Hank said, "While you were out, Amara, your forehead was freezing. We called our telepath Emma to see if she could understand what was going on, and some type of psychic battle ensued…"

She distantly remembered the nightmares, being trapped in a box by herself, hearing her father's screams of pain, it was just so cold… She mentally shook her head trying to dispel the horrors. Focusing back to Hank, she caught the tail end of his explanation.

"… And from what Logan said, Emma was thrown away from you and was pretty shaken. We can only assume that it was intense. Your subconscious caused multiple earthquakes all across the grounds, knocking the power out. You brought Emma into your nightmare, and I think you tried to bring us as well." He gestured around the room, and finally she understood what was giving the room such a blue hue. It was ice, no wonder why she was cold. Just like-

"I projected my nightmare?"

"From the evidence left over, I believe you did, yes." Hank uttered regrettably, his eyes conveying so much sympathy Amara had to look away.

"If you could share with us, child, what has you so wound up we could help you-"

"Don't. Don't do that. I can handle shit on my own." Amara hated feeling pitied, like she needed someone's sympathy. Her past lacked it, and she was sure she could survive the future without it.

Hank sighed and rubbed his face with his paw.

"Have it your way, but I do still need to check how your wounds are healing, if that is okay with you?"

Amara ignored the spite in Hank's tone and answered, "Can I just- Can I just have a second? You know, just to, um..." She gestured in circles around her head, and Hank understood immediately.

"Of course, when you need me just call, I'll be right next door."

He quickly exited through the same door Logan did, and Amara waited a few seconds, listening to his footsteps recede. Ororo gave Amara's arm a final squeeze and made to leave. She was stopped abruptly by the iron grip Amara had on her wrist. She looked into Amara's eyes questioningly and slowly returned to her seat.

"What the fuck is this place?" Amara hissed, her fingers digging into Ororo's wrist menacingly.

Ororo huffed impatiently, quickly answering, "Xavier's School-"

"Not that! You know what the hell I'm talking about. What the fuck do you guys want with me?"

Ororo struggled in her grasp, and her face switched from compassion to frustration to all out hostility as she fought harder and harder to be let go.

"Release me at once!"

"Not until you give me some answers."

Ororo continued to struggle, and when she realized how truly stuck she was, her eyes began to change.

"Let. Me. GO!" Thunder clapped outside and the hairs on Amara's arms rose at the energy in the room. She distinctly remembered back when she first met Logan and Ororo, when the woman had tried to rein in the storm she was creating. This woman controls the weather, and she's about to electrocute me, she surmised. Panic crossed her features, but as that thought sunk in, something altered within her. Her head had that throbbing again, and she felt her eyes change. In a few moments, just as fast as the electricity in the room increased, it had diminished.

The look on Ororo's face was priceless: a mixture of shock and indignation. Then it twisted into something akin to dismay, and Ororo hung her head defeatedly. Amara may not have a full handle on her powers, but was stronger than her nonetheless.

A pang of guilt ran through Amara's psyche. This woman had been nothing but kind and understanding to her, and here she was being an asshole keeping her hostage for no reason. All the woman had to do was scream and the blue ball of power would come bursting in and rip Amara to shreds. But she didn't. Even when Amara was silently threatening her, this woman did not rise to the challenge. She was obviously a person of high morals and respect, and Amara was ashamed of her actions and of her behavior. She immediately released and winced at the mark she left on the woman's wrist.

"Look, I'm sorry lady alright? I didn't mean to- I mean I did but not like- Shit." Amara looked away and took a deep breath. Even though she had released her, Ororo had stayed in her seat, absentmindedly rubbing her wrist and giving Amara her full attention. Amara took another deep breath and began.

"What I'm trying to fucking say is that I'm scared shitless and don't understand what the hell is going on and would like some goddamn answers so I can stop having a motherfucking mini heart attack so when the lone survivor of the blue man's group comes in here he doesn't think I'm fucking dying and tries to give me CPR or something and end up breaking my fucking sternum thus effectively killing me and next thing you know he's using my goddamn bones as toothpicks."

Amara glanced up at the woman nervously, peering through her lashes looking for any signs of anger or pessimism. The woman's face was unreadable for a few beats, and Amara worried she had put her foot in her mouth for the last time. Then a huge grin silenced her doubts and loud laughter cut through the silence. The woman began holding her sides, tears streaming down her face.

"Mini heart attack… lone survivor of the blue man's group… bones as toothpicks…" Ororo really could not stop laughing, and her chuckles grew louder and louder in volume, causing Hank to open the door and raise an eyebrow in question.

"Everything alright in here?"

Ororo struggled to contain herself, gasping for air. It took her a few tries, each successful until she muttered a line from Amara's outburst and was laughing all over again. Finally, she was breathing semi- normally and had the majority of her chortles under control.

"Everything is fine, Hank. I just think that Amara may have the best sense of humor I've ever heard."

Hank chuckled and answered, "Then she'll fit in just fine. Just don't tell Bobby, or she'll find herself in a comedic battle every time she sees him."

He gave Amara a large smile as he closed the door behind him, leaving the two alone once again. The silence was short lived, and Amara quickly began another apology before Ororo cut her off.

"It's okay. I should have known better, especially from my own experiences."

"What do you mean?"

"Well when Charles first found me, though I was over ten years younger than you, I lashed out just the same. Charles even had to shut me down when I came dangerously close to hurting a few of his other students." Ororo got this distant look in her eye, remembering those past moments fondly.

"So what is it that you want from me? For real this time, none of this 'we only want to help you' bullshit." Amara's question brought Ororo back swiftly, and she frowned.

"I do not know what has happened in your past, and I hope in the future you will be comfortable enough and trust me enough to share with me. But either way, you must know we are not like the people who may have harmed you. This school is not just a place for young mutants to learn how to control their powers; it's a home. A place free from society's disapproving eye and judgmental ways. When I told you we wanted to help you, I meant it."

Amara's head was down, and her fingertips idly traced the patterns on the comforter.

"But that's not how the world fucking works. You do something for me; I have to do something for you. That's what keeps this planet fucking spinning." _Nothing comes for free in this world. Not for nobody. And that's what you are my dear. A nobody._ Amara shook her head and balled her hands into fists.

Ororo noticed the change in the woman's demeanor, and quickly found a way to reach a compromise.

"I know what you can do in return."

Amara looked up with eyes filled with unshed tears. She blinked a few times and they disappeared as if they were never there. She brought her shoulders back, grimacing at the pain. Her body spoke of defiance and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. I knew it, she thought. I fucking knew it.

"And what the hell would that be?"

Ororo glared back and answered, "Well two things: one, you let us help you. No resistance, so complaining. You believe us that we really do want to assist you with control and mastery over your powers, and you don't push us and the first place you've been able to call home in years away. Do you want to go back to the street? Because I've been there, and you and I both know it's a hard life that ends in two ways: death or jail. You've already done one. Do you want to do the other?"

Amara considered what the woman was proposing. Though part of her was screaming this was a trap, the other part, the deeper part, _knew_ it wasn't. No one was this good at manipulation, especially not this strong and regal woman before her. And if she was honest with herself, she was tired. Tired of being hungry, of being eyed shamelessly, of being groped. Tired of fighting every second of every day. Hell, she was tired of being tired. And on top of that, she was horrified at the power she wielded. She knew she couldn't control it, even if she tried her best.

Her shoulders slumped with defeat and Ororo smiled.

"Fine. What the fuck else do you want from me? My soul? My first born child? What?"

Ororo chuckled and shook her head vigorously. "No, maybe another time. The second thing I'd like you to is give Bobby's title of comedic genius a run for its money."

Amara's mouth gaped at Ororo's admission. Did the weather witch just make a joke? Seriously, what was in these people's water supply?

After the initial shock, Amara nodded her head and smirked. "It's in the bag."

"Excellent."

Ororo got up from the bed and mentioned going to get Hank. Amara nodded and looked down as Ororo went for the door. She remembered something and her head shot back up.

"Ororo?"

The woman paused, her hand on the handle, and turned to the figure on the bed.

"Yes Amara?"

"I just have one more question."

Ororo waited expectantly, and Amara took her silence as a sign to continue.

"What kind of medical wing has a fucking bed? And follow up to that, a bed with these shitty sheets? Whoever picked these should be fired."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Not a lot of action here, just a filler chapter with some more character bonding, and of course with Amara and Logan, some choice words with a little bit of a bite to them. I'm aware that the amount of swearing I put into this story is like, completely ridiculous, but keep in mind I always figured Logan had a serious potty mouth, and seeing as how Amara's been in prison for the majority of her life, of course the lingo there would integrate itself into her vocab. So here's another fun- filled chapter! Read and Review please, and awaaaay we gooooo!**_

 _Amara_

"Well, it seems your injuries are fully healed, Amara. You're free to go."

Amara smiled at Hank, and took his hand as he helped her down from the examination table.

After waking up, Amara had spent only another hour in Hank's bed before she demanded to be brought back into the medical bay. She didn't give a reason as to why she wanted to move, and she expertly hid her disgust when she pulled a long blue hair from her clothes. She was still a little shaken from her ordeal, and could not stop apologizing when Hank had to get his room pumped after all of the ice melted. After Ororo had, although very politely, put her ass in her place, it was like the flood gates had opened and Amara just could not contain herself. Every medical item and term was questioned, every diagnostic demanded an explanation, and she wondered at the patience her blue doctor had. At every outburst he simply smiled and provided an answer in the simplest yet non offending form, and Amara was beginning to see beyond the blue fur into the man beneath it.

She really liked him. He was kind and though he was massive in size, he was surprisingly gentle and caring. He understood her need for space to adjust to her surroundings, but seemed to know when to be there to provide comfort for her when she needed it the most. Though she could tell that he wanted to ask her about her nightmare, he didn't pry, and Amara respected him for that.

She spent two days in the infirmary. This irked her to no end, she felt fine, and Amara would rather be walking around investigating her new home rather than stay confined to a metal cot, or her future coffin as she fondly called it. She gave it one last look of disdain before she focused on Hank once again.

"I'm free? So do I get a lollipop and a sticker telling me what a goddman awesome kid I am?" She smirked.

Hank chuckled and shook his head. "Unfortunately no, not a necessity."

Amara sucked her teeth and frowned, "Get your shit together, Hank. I expect more from you."

He mocked a salute and shouted "Right away Cap!"

"At ease, soldier."

They both turned with wide smiles as Ororo strode into the room. There were really no words to describe how close Amara had gotten to the woman in such a short time frame. Though she still did not feel comfortable sharing her past with anyone, she knew she could if she needed to. Even though Hank had been nothing but polite and accommodating, he did have other obligations within the mansion, and when he was called away Ororo would come to keep her company. At first Amara was suspicious, thought they just didn't trust her to be on her own. But she quickly realized this was not the case. Ororo was intrigued with her, and really wanted to lay her doubts to rest. She didn't press Amara for any information, much like Hank, and instead shared her story in depth to the newcomer. Hearing the struggles and challenges Ororo had went through in life had given Amara a window to see into the goddess. She had been witness to horrors much like Amara had, and they had bonded quickly. Of course, they also came from the same area, Cairo, Egypt, and they traded stories and laughed at memories frequently. Amara considered her a friend, and was always looking forward to her company.

"Sup 'Rory? You hear to make sure I don't make a break for it?"

Ororo smiled at the nickname and replied, "Of course not, just figured you'd like a tour of the facilities so that I don't have to hear you scream late at night when you get lost."

Amara laughed and answered, "Appreciate that. Well, Hank, it's been real and all, but I gotta go. If I don't get some sun on my skin soon, I'll be the color of 'Roro's hair."

Hank guffawed and stared at her dubiously, "If I didn't already know of your great sense of humor I would have easily given you a lecture on how that is not scientifically possible seeing as the melanin in your skin-"

"Hank."

He stopped mid sentence and tilted his head at Ororo's interruption.

"Man, fuck going pale, I think if I stay here another minute, I'll suffer a worst punishment."

The couple turned to Amara, raising an eyebrow in question.

"I'll start sounding like Hank." She mock shuddered and Hank scowled. "You know I'm just playing with you. Catch you on the flip side, homie."

She made a fist and went for a pound. Hank simply stood with his arms to his side, giving her a look of confusion.

"Goddamnit Hank! You need to get out more." Amara settled for a quick pat on the shoulder and hurried to the door, jumping in anticipation of being free. Ororo gave Hank a humoring smile and a quick kiss on the cheek before running after her quarry, hoping to catch her before she meandered too far.

"Amara not down there- no not in there either- would just slow down for a second?"

 _Logan_

Logan threw a quick jab and smiled as he landed his mark. He broke the man's neck and went on the defensive, waiting for the next attack. He quickly ducked out of the way and seconds later a loud blast shook the ground. He crouched behind a crushed car, relying on his senses to see if the robot had found him yet. All around him fire and smoke blocked his vision, and he could no longer hear the screams or see the retreating forms of the people of the town. Buildings were crumbling and the ground was littered with shards of metal and craters from the lasers the robot shot. Of course, fighting just a robot wouldn't be enough of challenge, there also had to be a few dozen highly trained operatives that he had to take out as well. His ears perked up and he jumped just in time to avoid being crushed by a large metallic foot. He unsheathed his claws and began scaling it, hacking and slashing his way up the giant until he reached its neck. The robot raised both arms, trying to grasp the Wolverine as he had begun destroying the main circuit. It was too late, and with a final cut, the light shining through its eyes dulled, and all movement stopped.

"Program terminated."

Logan jumped from the robots shoulders and landed with an umph on the hard metal floor of the Danger Room. Though things were relatively peaceful after Alcatraz, Logan knew it was only a matter of time before a new threat loomed on the horizon, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to be prepared for it. He had increased the difficulty on his sessions recently, and even though he always managed to beat them, he'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt like hell.

He cracked his neck and took stock of his injuries. He tested his shoulder and was pleased to see it was already working properly after an early shot from the giant had thrown him into a building hard, dislocating it. He felt the scorched flesh on his chest healing slowly, and he gently picked at the dried blood on his knuckles. Whether it was his or someone else's, he didn't know nor cared. He smiled to himself as he exited the room and headed towards the locker room. All I want right now is a nice cold beer an' a cigar, he thought.

He heard footsteps as he exited the room, and figured Ororo was coming for a quick session of kicking ass. He readied a smart ass remark but stopped as he heard a different voice call out, "It smells like wet dog down here."

A woman rounded the corner and stopped in her tracks. She scrunched her nose as she sized Logan up. After a moment she made a show of pinching her nostrils shut and leered at him, stating maliciously, "Oh. Well the smell makes sense now. Didn't know they let fucking animals run wild in here."

Logan gritted his teeth and balled up his fists. Amara. This woman was trying his patience beyond belief. He could swear she thrived off of antagonizing him. Part of him knew it was just an act, whatever he had done to her she wanted revenge for, and though she had promised Ororo she would allow them to help her control her powers without resistance, that didn't mean she had to tolerate him.

Which in turn meant he didn't have to take her shit either.

"Yeah well I didn't know they let in gorramn strays either, yet here ya are."

She scowled and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Tell me, how often do they have to spray your room for fleas?"

"'Bout as often as they havta check their pockets when they visit ya."

Her nostrils flared in anger and she got in his face lightning fast.

"You shut your fucking mouth," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Ya gonna make meh?" He snarled back, revealing his canines.

"Hell yeah." Her eyes changed to green and he could see light begin to shine through the tatters in her sleeves and near her feet. His knuckles itched to release his claws and his body tensed. To hell with being understanding; this woman needed to be knocked on her ass a few times, and he was more than glad to be the one to do it.

They both heard frantic footsteps coming from down the hallway and they both took a quick step back. Amara's eyes changed back to normal, and the white light that was gleaming from her arms and legs died down. Logan relaxed his stance and unclenched his fists just in time as Ororo came barreling around the corner.

"There you are! I'm lucky I keep in shape or I'd be hard pressed to catch up with you." She paused as she took in the scene of the two people in front of her. There were a good couple of feet between the two and yet she felt the animosity in the air like it had slapped her in the face. Though both attempted to act casual in her presence, but she could tell they were tense, and it didn't help they couldn't stop starring daggers at each other. Shit, I'm gonna hear 'bout this later, Logan thought, inwardly sighing to himself.

Amara was the first to compose herself, quickly transforming her face from one of hate to one of humor as she replied, "Sorry, I was just so excited of fucking being out of that place I guess I got a little carried away. By all means, lead away almighty tour guide." She bowed and gestured in a large sweep in front of her for Ororo to pass her.

Ororo hesitated for a moment, looking between the two of them, her eyes lingering on Logan a second longer than necessary. Logan got the message loud and clear: _When I'm done, find me. We need to talk._ He sighed and nodded slightly. With that Ororo strode past the two and led Amara towards the Danger Room, saying, "The older mutants here are part of a group we call the X-men. We train as often as possible, and to be ready for every case scenario we have a room that can create any simulation you could possibly think of…"

Amara didn't move to follow her right away. Instead she again got in Logan's face and leaned over so that her mouth was inches from his ear.

"This shit isn't over. When no one's around, I'm gonna wipe the floor with your ass."

She shouldered past him as he growled, "I'd like to see ya try."

Logan waited a few moments after she left to calm himself down. He didn't know why he let her get to him so easily. He had been at the X- Mansion for a long time, and he honestly thought he had a better handle on his temper. Then this woman shows up and within days he feels all his progress has been reversed. And it didn't help that he found her so goddamn attractive. What's a man to do when a beautiful woman's temper is a serious turn on? Deny the feeling and be on the defensive. At least that's what he's been trying to do, but he didn't know how much longer that would last. Maybe a cold shower would cool meh down, he surmised. He heard Ororo's voice drone on in the background, and he turned to go to the locker rooms.

"I really, REALLY, could use that beer…"


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hi all! So I tried waiting for people's suggestions, BUT no one sent me one, SOOOOO this is what I came up with. If you don't like or wanted something else to happen, you have no one to blame but yourself! Okay, that sounded mad rude, so just ignore that. Please don't hate me. Anyways enjoy and REVIEW LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT! Obviously it doesn't but you know… Okay. I'm gonna stop. Enjoy!**_

 _Logan_

Logan stood in front of the fridge for a few seconds, deliberating on what to drink. He chuckled to himself, grabbed a beer and quietly closed the fridge. It was the middle of the night, and he would much rather sneak around in the dark than have Ororo on his ass for drinking so late.

He uncapped his beer and took a long swig, enjoying the sensation the drink gave him as it went down his throat. Whatever life threw at him, beer was always there for him. He knew using alcohol as a relief was probably not the healthiest method, but he had a healing factor, so whatever. He took another swig and made his way to the back porch. The night sky was clear, and the stars twinkled next to the new moon. He sighed and leaned against the railing, enjoying the quiet. The peace combined with the beer to provide the perfect calming experience. Logan ran his hand through his unruly hair and sighed again. Another night filled with nightmares, and time again to order a new mattress to replace the shredded one. It was always the same one again and again: Alcatraz, the battle, then Jean and what he did…

Involuntarily he clenched the railing until his knuckles were white. It just wasn't fair! He had done a lot of bad things in his lifetime, both what he could and couldn't remember, and was constantly running, running from his problems, and from himself. Then, when he finally made the conscious decision to settle in one place? When he finally opened his heart to a woman, taken or not? Tears formed in his eyes. He had to. He had no choice. If he hadn't, the amount of people Jean could have killed- He blinked them back. No. Not Jean. She couldn't hurt a fly. The Phoenix. The destruction the Phoenix could have done… He wouldn't have been able to live with himself.

Logan chuckled humorlessly. Somehow his emotional state wasn't much better off. When the Phoenix began destroying the island, Logan had barely been able to disassociate it from the Jean he knew. It was the screams. It was the hurried forms of humans and mutants fleeing for their lives. It was the look of pure desperation on Storm's usually stoic face. He knew what he had to do, and he fought through the sheer power of the Phoenix's fury. He could handle that. Logan could handle fighting someone who looked and acted nothing like Jean. But it was that one moment. That one moment when Jean had fought through the Phoenix's control. The pleading look she gave him, when she begged him to kill her. That face, that moment, is forever ingrained in his mind. He sees it when he closes his eyes, and he hears her plea in his dreams. His Jean, killed by his own claws. How do you heal from that? How do you stop blaming yourself for that?

He downed the rest of his beer quickly and released his hold on the railing. Though he had talked to Ororo, he had not disclosed just how hard he was taking this, and he didn't think he ever would. Logan was nothing but a proud man, and he wanted to do this on his own. To get better on his own. He took another deep breath and looked up to the sky. He didn't notice the shadow pass stealthily behind him.

"Wish ya were here, darlin'."

Logan turned and went back into the building, not noticing the silhouette moving swiftly up the wall to his right.

 _Amara_

Amara groaned and shifted into another position on her bed. After a few more minutes she opened her eyes and humphed. She hasn't slept in a bed in who knows how long, and yet she can't even enjoy it. Every time she would be on the brink of sleep, she would see an image, a fire, a cage, chains, and she'd wake up immediately. She didn't want another repeat of what happened in Hank's room, she managed to avoid sharing before, another incident and she didn't think neither Hank nor Ororo would let her slide again. Of course the Ice Queen as she had ironically nicknamed her wouldn't mind nor care.

When Amara had met Emma officially earlier that day, saying she was very distant was an understatement. The woman was downright hostile, and it took all of Amara's willpower, and a warning steady hand from Ororo, to keep her from telling just where that woman could shove her anger.

She sighed and sat up, pushing a few stray curls out of her face. Looks like another fucking night without sleep, she thought. She rubbed her eyes and swung her feet out of the bed. She paused for a second, and the familiar feel of _something_ at the back of her mind shook the last feelings of drowsiness. She sensed everyone: Ororo sleeping upstairs, Hank shifting in his bed downstairs, Emma snoring quietly, and Logan creeping back into his room.

She rolled her eyes. Logan. James. Whatever. He was probably returning from rolling around in the mud or something. She knew she was being immature, unforgiving, and antagonizing, but she couldn't help it. Her father died because of him. He may not remember it, but she did. She remembered _everything_ : the screams, the smoke, the smell of burning flesh… And every time she saw him, every time he talked, every time he even breathed in her presence, it just kept bringing those memories back. He's lucky she promised Ororo she'd give this place a chance, or she would have killed him. She shuddered. Amara wasn't a killer, but she would be to avenge her father.

She put her head in her hands and tried to shake her thoughts. What was she thinking? Her father was a peaceful man, he would never want that. He wouldn't want his daughter suffering like this, considering murder… what he must think of her now. She stood up and made her way to the window, her arms wrapping around herself, trying to provide comfort. Oh God, daddy… He must be so ashamed of his daughter. And what her mom must be thinking- Tears welled up in her eyes and a quick sob escaped her lips. Suddenly a wave of despair swept over her and she had to wrestle to get her emotions under control. Ororo had explained how her emotions could control her powers, and shared her thoughts on how Amara must be the same way. If that was the case, then Amara needed to calm down before she destroyed the mansion. She saw ominous clouds forming in the distance, much too quickly to be natural and knew she was the cause of it. She took a few deep breaths and counted to ten, twenty, thirty… By the time she reached sixty, the clouds had dissipated, and she could breathe normally. What is wrong with me?

She whipped around, glaring at the door. She sensed movement, but tilted her head to the side questioningly. This wasn't one of the other inhabitants of the house. Alarms went off in her head, and she contemplated calling for help. Logan may be an asshole, but his urge to protect her was disarming yet flattering. Wait, what? She shook her head and focused on the problem at hand. Her eyes changed, and her markings began to glow, cutting through the darkness of her room like a knife. She took a few steps towards the door, but stopped.

"I've seen too many fucking horror movies where the inquisitive black bitch dies first. I'm not the one…"

She quietly crept to the side of the door. She glanced at the darkest corner of her room, but quickly dashed hiding. It's hard to remain unseen when you're glowing like the Statue of fucking Liberty, she thought. No, her best chance was to surprise her attacker; the best defense is sometimes the best offense. The door creaked open, and Amara remained silent as she waited for the assailant to enter the room. Her hand hovered over the light switch, and when a shadow stalked in, she flipped it. Amara barely stopped herself from attacking when she realized who her uninvited guest was. She released the breath she was holding and cursed under her breath. The intruder turned around and its eyes glinted with a look of recognition.

"Come here you crazy son of bitch. I almost attacked you, asshole." She crouched and opened her arms wide, embracing T'Challa in a tight bear hug.

"Hello, mistress."

"Ugh, please don't fucking call me that shit. It sounds like we're in some old 50s movie."

"Then stop swearing, you sound like Samuel L. Jackson."

Amara released her hold on T'Challa and turned towards her now open window, where Tumbili was perched. As always, where mother was, babies followed, and Kike and Kiume scurried in, shoving their mother out of the way as they sprinted to Amara. She laughed as they scaled up her body, one resting on her shoulder, the other one picking through her hair.

Amara smiled at her friend and said, "You know you love my motherfucking vocab, it keeps life interesting."

"Like your life needs more excitement."

"Indeed, Amara. I have only existed for a few days, and they have been filled to the brim with action. Is it always like this?"

"Is what like this?"

"Life."

Amara grunted as she stood up, careful not to capsize her two passengers. She sat on the edge of her bed, and patted both sides, inviting her companions to sit. After they were situated, she answered T'Challa's question.

"Yeah, yeah it is. How did you guys get here? I sure as hell remember telling you to help the other animals."

Tumbili and T'Challa shared a look, and Tumbili answered, "We know what you said. But we were worried. We could not allow that man to leave with you. We knew he'd never let you or your friends go. So we followed you. Watched you struggle with him," Tumbili paused just enough to give Amara a disapproving look, "Before we could move to help you, the man shot you. Well tried to shoot you, but something stopped the bullet."

Amara cut in, "What?"

"When the man pulled the trigger, there was a bush of wind and this- for lack of a better word- force field made out of air formed, millimeters from your head. The impact still knocked you out. We thought you died." T'Challa's voice rang with sorrow, and Amara realized then and there just how much these two cared for her. They may have gone against her orders, but they did it to protect her. To ensure her safety, she never had anyone to do that for her before.

"Then that Logan/James/whatever his name is character came flying through the brush. He charged the guy, and took a full clip to the chest before he literally beat the life out of the guy."

Amara looked up in surprise, raising her eyebrows in question. Tumbili nodded to affirm what she had shared. He did that? Why? I attacked him; I almost killed him, why would risk himself like that? Well he could heal pretty quickly, that's why. Saving her was a low risk for him. No big deal. But what about what Hank had told her? She almost died from loss of blood on the jet, and Logan had cut himself _repeatedly_ to heal her, saving her life. But why? What the hell was this guy's deal?

Tumbili's voice interrupted her thoughts, explaining how they had followed Logan past the men's camp and onto the jet. When they had landed, they had followed the group up to the house but were told they couldn't come inside from a highly agitated blonde woman. Amara scoffed at that, of course the Ice Queen wasn't fond of animals, or anything nature related for that matter. The woman wore a chinchilla coat for Christ's sake, and had all but retched when she saw how dirty Amara's hands were.

"We've been sweeping the area, mi'lady. Scouring the lands for any threats. I'm happy to report nothing seems out of place."

Amara rolled her eyes at the new name the panther called her. He obviously was not going to just call her Amara, so she might as well just get used to it.

"Thank you. For, well, everything." She paused for a second, letting her words sink in.

"Do you know what happened to the forest? The other animals?"

They both shook their heads. "You were our first priority."

Amara sighed. Maybe one day she could return to the desert, check to see what had become of it. Ororo would definitely approve of that kind of trip. Of course she'd need to be in full control of her powers, she'd be of no help if she showed up an emotional wreck, cause a storm, and call the army all over again.

"So what happens now? I'm safe here, I think. Where are you guys gonna go?"

Tumbili scoffed and replied, "Please, woman. You can't survive without us. We're staying here. Well not exactly here since the Animal Terminator doesn't approve of us. We found a home outside, near the lake."

Amara smirked at the name. "Animal Terminator, huh? Definitely gonna use that shit. So what's your place like? A pile of sticks? Got a nice view of your shit on the ground?"

"No it is not, why would you ask such a thing?" T'Challa obviously did not get the playful sarcasm in Amara's voice, and she laughed at his confusion.

"I really don't know how you got none of my personality quirks, T'Challa. I think Tumbili stole all it for herself."

Tumbili grunted with annoyance and called her babies to her. They jumped off of Amara's shoulders, rubbing her hands insistently until she petted them quickly. Kike then rushed to her mother's side, but Kiume stayed a few moments longer, reveling in Amara's scratching. Tumbili growled a warning and Kiume gave Amara a lopsided grin as he rushed up his mother's chest, nestling in next to his sister. She laughed at their antics, and walked with Tumbili to her window.

"We will keep sweeping the area. Call us if you absolutely need us. But Amara? Try not to need us." With that, Tumbili swept through the window and began her descent down the wall. Amara turned to T'Challa and saw him hovering near her door, worry coming off of him in waves.

"I'll be fine, T'Challa. These people fucking won't hurt me. Not if they don't want a repeat of last time."

T'Challa smiled at her comment, and bowed his head. "Good night mi'lady."

"Good night, you big furball of emotions."

T'Challa crept out of her room, and in a matter of seconds she felt his presence leaving the mansion and sprinting away. She sighed and climbed back into her bed. Amara knew she wouldn't get any sleep, so she tried to digest everything her friends had told her, especially the parts about the enigma that was Logan. She felt something shifting within her; she couldn't hate someone who had obviously saved her life multiple times. But what he was capable of? What if the old him returned? Logan was a puzzle, and Amara had always hated solving puzzles.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Life happens. That's all I have to say about this delay. Anyways here it is, the confrontation that was inevitable from the start. Now before anyone judges both Amara or Logan in this chapter, bear with me for a second. Amara has lived a life filled with suffering and trauma, that's why she lashes out so quickly. She blames Logan for not only what he's directly done in her life, but also for everything afterwards. So when she sees him, that's about twenty years of pent up anger that boils over. And she's got quite a temper anyways.**_

 _ **Logan truly does not know what happened, and he is sorry for whatever it was he did. But with the combination of Jean haunting him in his sleep and Amara pouncing on him every chance she gets wears away at his patience and his tolerance. And he's also got a serious temper, so he doesn't take Amara's shit for very long.**_

 _ **WARNING: I don't think it's too graphic, but some people might. They are mean to each other and shit goes down. 'Nuff said. Read and Review please!**_

 _Logan_

Logan grunted and shifted in his bed. The dawn light streaming through his window was slightly too much for him so early in the morning. He contemplated closing the curtains and trying to get a few more minutes but decided against it. Might as well just get up. He swung his feet out of the covers and glanced at the clock. 4:30 on the dot. He definitely had to be in the military for the majority of his life, because that's the only explanation as to why he woke up at the same time every day. Even when his night was filled with nightmares. He sighed and got himself ready for the day, sporting some comfy sweats and readying himself for another work out session. Logan sighed, as bits of his nightmares kept flashing through his mind. Seeing Jean like that, always messes him up. He was a little disheveled, but it was nothing a quick session of ass-kicking couldn't fix.

He quietly slipped his way through the hallways, careful not to wake anyone up. He wasn't in the mood for small talk, or any talk for that matter. After he exited the elevator, he snuck past Hank's room and briskly waltzed to the Rec Room. A loud umph stopped him in his tracks. No one wakes up this early, not even 'Ro. Logan opened the door a crack and peaked inside. He groaned and considered slinking back to his room so he could avoid the pain in his ass named Amara. She was positioned with her back to the door, pummeling a punching bag relentlessly. Though his mind was screaming at him to go, his body refused to move, so he settled by leaning against the door frame and watching her for a few minutes.

He had to admit, she was kicking that bag's ass. She didn't have the best form but she had a surprising amount of power behind those punches and kicks. As he continued to watch, something in the air shifted. He saw white light coming from her arms and her punches went from strong to downright punishing. Next thing Logan knew, a flash of lightning connected with the bag as her fist made contact and the bag went flying back, exploding once it hit the wall. Amara stilled for a moment, only her ragged breaths shaking her body. Her fists kept clenching and unclenching, bolts of lightning dancing across her wrists. She was itching for round two. He decided now was the best time to slink away before she turned and made him her second victim.

"And just where the fuck do you think you're going?"

He froze for a second before turning around. Amara had calmed down considerably, the light had dimmed down and the lightning was gone. She made her way over to the side of the room, grabbing her water and flopping down on the floor.

"Ya knew I was there?" Logan asked, tentatively walking towards her. He couldn't get a good read on her, and his defenses were up ready for an attack at any moment.

"I knew the moment you got out of bed. Whatever my mutant abilities are, a perk is heightened senses." She said, dabbing the sweat off of her brow. "They can pick up just about everything, even when a man such as yourself is attempting to act chill when he's really preparing for a fucking fight or flight scenario."

Logan smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Well last time I saw ya, ya threatened to wipe tha floor wit my ass. I'm just preparin' for it."

Amara chuckled and replied, "Not threatened, Logan. Fucking promised."

He mock nodded and relaxed slightly. She was still sitting and was obviously tired. The chances of her attacking him were slim to none.

"So why are ya awake so early?"

"Why are you?"

"I asked ya first."

"Well, when you fucking grow up in goddamn prison, you get used to a much regimented schedule. Waking up early for P.T. every morning will do that for ya. What's your excuse?"

He scratched his neck and shrugged again. "Honestly, I don' know. For as long as I can remember, I always wake up early. Think I musta got it from my military days."

She got a faraway look in her eye and glanced around the room. "There seems to be a lot of shit you conveniently don't remember." Her eyes hardened and she glared at him with new vigor.

He moved closer and crouched in front of her, sighing loudly. "Listen, Amara. I am sorry for whatever it is I did ta ya." He stopped and stared her in the eye, hoping his genuine apology was conveyed properly.

She leaned forward until she was just a few inches away and hissed, "It's not what you did, you bastard. It's what you promised to do, and then fucking didn't."

She stood abruptly and shoved him out of the way to leave the bench. Logan landed on his ass hard, and it took all of his self- control not to pummel her. He jumped up and confronted her. "And what tha fuck was that? I'm sittin' here, tryin' to give your bitchy ass an apology and you fuckin' attack meh. Again. What tha fuck is yer problem?"

Amara whirled on him and got in his face. "The fuck is MY problem? MY PROBLEM. Fuck you, YOU'RE my fucking problem."

"And why the fuck is that? I don't remember shit, darlin', so yer gonna have ta fill in tha blanks."

She shoved him again, harder than last time and screamed, "I told you to never fucking call me that, you fucking prick!"

This time, Logan was done with her shit. He shoved her back so hard she fell on her ass. Her eyes changed to the transitioning green he remembered from a few weeks ago, and the air cracked with electricity. She jumped to her feet and strutted over to the sparring mat. Logan involuntarily gulped as she turned and got into a fighting stance.

"C'mon, asshole. Right here, right fucking now."

He shook his head and finally moved to leave. "I ain't fightin' ya, darlin' How would I explain ta 'Ro why her new student's guts are plastered all ova the Rec Room?"

"The same way I'd have to explain to her how her precious Rec Room had to be pumped from how much blood her friend lost."

He clenched his fists and kept walking, trying his hardest not to even reengage her. But she wasn't having it.

"And there it is! That's the Logan I remember. Or the James, rather. That right there. Your fucking back, always turned away from everyone. Tell me, do your friends know what a shitty person you are James? You may not remember anything, but you haven't changed at all."

He paused, and Amara smirked and continued. "That's right, dickhead. You think joining these people would change you, James? You and I both know you're just a selfish prick who does whatever is in the best interest for himself. Right, James? Please, stop me if I'm wrong."

Logan turned slowly and made his way over to the mat. "Don't fuckin' call me James. My name is Logan now and that's what ya'll call me."

Amara's arms began to glow, and Logan could almost see lightning bolts dancing in the air around them. "Or what? Your name is fucking James, James. You won't do shit. Fighting me would make you lose your position here, and you wouldn't want to fucking risk that. No, not when you have all these comforts and luxuries. How long have you been here James? Few years, right? You know what I fucking got to enjoy these past few years? Dark alleyways, cold concrete, scraps of garbage for food. You don't know what that's like, not having shit."

Logan's fists clenched and he got in her face fast. "I do fuckin' know what that's like. I woke in th middle of the fuckin' woods. Tha FUCKIN' woods. No memory. No food. Fuckin' nothin' but these damn dog tags to even tell me who tha fuck I am. So don't ya dare say I don' know what it's like not to have shit! Ya claim I'm heartless? Fuck ya. Ya are too. Did ya always have this lack of empathy? Tha need to hurt other people just cuz? Or did ya develop that skill bein' somebody's bitch in prison?"

All the electricity in the air surrounded her hand and before Logan could react, Amara's fist connected with his jaw. His body went flying back into the back of the room, and the combination of his heavy skeleton and the force that he was hit had him going through the wall into the Danger Room control area, through the glass, and into the Danger Room.

He landed with a heavy thud and a crack on his left side, and he knew he had a few broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Logan had also landed on broken glass, and he shifted onto his back to begin picking the pieces out. He relocated his shoulder and focused on breathing for a few seconds, gasping through the pain and waiting for his blood to heal the wounds. But he didn't have time to rest.

Amara floated through the broken window and landed softly on the floor. Her hands were balled into charged fists, lightning dancing around her arms. Logan sprung up, pain forgotten and focused on his opponent.

"Lack of empathy, huh? You know how I fucking got that? By watching my father be tortured. Again and again. By YOUR fucking brother." She shot a bolt of lightning and Logan barely managed to dodge it. He landed on his feet and quickly rolled out of the way as another one was shot his way, scorching the floor.

"I don' know my brother, ya psychotic bitch! I don' know what happened ta yer father! I DON' FUCKIN' KNOW!"

Strong winds began to pick up in the room, and clouds were forming under the ceiling. Amara was crying, and large pieces of hail and freezing rain came flying down correlating with her tears. The hail crashed onto the floor so hard that the pieces broke apart and began denting the metal tiles. The wind threw the hail/rain combo haphazardly, and a small cyclone formed around Amara, gaining speed and size by the second. She had stopped advancing towards Logan, her body rooted to the floor as the past got a hold on her and wouldn't let go.

"I don't care that you don't know. HE'S DEAD! My father is dead because- because- because you LEFT. You fucking left!" The hail fell even harder, knocking Logan down. The freezing rain was numbing, but not enough to stop the pain shooting through his body everywhere. He tried to cover his head and fought to stay conscious. The winds pulled at him, threatening to pick him up, whipping his hair into his face and ripping his clothes.

"You fucking promised me. You promised you'd protect us. That you'd save us. AND YOU FUCKING LEFT!" Amara's sobs increased, as did the storm around her. Random lightning bolts flashed across the clouds, connecting with the floor at random points in the room. The cyclone grew to the size of a tornado, and the winds picked Logan up like a rag doll and threw his around the room. First his legs smashed into the wall, and Logan cried out as his bones cracked from the impact. Before he could recover his back was next, his spine breaking and rendering him momentarily paralyzed. His was losing the fight to stay awake, and as darkness began clouding his vision, he just barely saw the wall coming before his head smashed into it, completely knocking him out.

Amara had long since stopped paying attention to him, much less anything other than her pain. Her grief. She couldn't bottle it up anymore. All those years of suppressed emotions and ache were flooding back to her all at once, wave after wave of agony hitting her ruthlessly. Her knees buckled and she slid onto the floor, gasping for air between sobs. Her head was throbbing excruciatingly, and she was sore everywhere. Images of her father flashed before her. The cuts and the blood. The fire and the smoke from burning flesh… It was too much. It was all too much. She screamed before her mind mercifully shut herself down. Her body slumped to the floor, spent and exhausted. The storm stopped the moment she lost consciousness.

A few seconds of peace reigned in the Danger Room, and was interrupted by loud banging on the door outside. The combination of the rain, cold temperatures, and a heavy layer of hail froze the door shut, and even with Hank's strength it took a few minutes to break it open.

Ororo, Hank, and Emma burst into the room, readying themselves for any attacks from a simulation. They stopped in their tracks when they saw the scene before them. There was no recreation of a battle. The actual Danger Room was what greeted them, or rather what was left of it. Metal tiles were ripped off and dented everywhere. The floor was a mixture of scorch marks and piles of hail. Broken circuits sparked on the ceiling and shards of glass were everywhere.

"What in the world happened here?" Ororo gasped, taking in the damage despairingly. Her landed on a dark body in the far corner of the room and gasped.

"Oh my Goddess!" Ororo exclaimed, rushing to Logan's crumpled form on the ground. She was careful to dodge the hail and the glass and threw herself next to her friend. She gently touched his neck and assessed him as quickly as possible. Logan was a mess. His face was bloodied and bruised almost past the point of recognition. Her hands deftly patted him down, Ororo shaking at the feeling of so many broken bones. He lost too much blood, and they needed to set his bones before they healed incorrectly. "Hank! Come quickly, we need to get him to the medical bay immediately!"

Hank rushed over and knelt beside Ororo, aiding her in the assessment. He flipped Logan and groaned in dismay.

"His spine is ruptured, Ororo, and it has already begun to heal. I'm going to have to break it again before I can set it correctly." He gathered his friend in his arms as gently as his panic and dismay would allow. Hank nodded to the distraught Ororo and rushed out of the room without a second look back.

Ororo sobbed, the destruction of the room along with the suffering her friend must have endured hitting her too hard. "What the hell happened?" She screamed, looking around for an answer she didn't have.

Emma had been reviewing the damage in the room, while also looking for the culprit she knew was still here. She nearly tripped on Amara's leg, and was glaring at her in disdain when Ororo screamed.

"She happened." Emma replied, looking down on Amara's still body on ground.

Ororo glanced over and her eyes widened at the realization of who that was on the floor. She covered her mouth in horror at the sheer power this poor woman yielded and sobbed harder.


	13. Chapter 13

_**So this chapter is late. Obviously. And I'm really sorry about that. But I really didn't know where to take it from the last chapter. This is my first story ever, so bear with me. And I'm sorry it's so long. I have so much I want to happen now and every time I try to shove more stuff into the chapters, it just seems too rushed. Read and Review people! PLEASE?!**_

 _Logan_

Logan groaned loudly, fighting to hold onto the last remnants of unconsciousness. The more he woke up, the more pain registered throughout his body. Finally he gave up and tried to open his eyes. The light was blinding, and it took him a few moments to adjust to his surroundings. He groaned again and tried to shift in his bed. Pain flared up his back and he hissed. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, gathering all of his inner strength. Opening his eyes again, he went to move, gritting his teeth as his back reminded him why he had to stop the first time. Ever the persistent one, he tried to sit up, only to be welcomed with more pain and resistance. He felt constricted, and for a moment he flashed back to his nightmare, right before he was injected with the Adamantium. He panicked and started to struggle against his restraints. A soft hand lightly touched his arm and gently pushed him back.

"You must sit still, my friend."

Logan shifted his eyes until he found the owner of the voice. He relaxed instantly and the last remnant of his flashback faded away. He attempted to smile but it hurt too much and quickly turned into a grimace.

"'Ro?" He croaked out.

Ororo placed a cool hand on his brow and brushed his hair out of his face. "I'm right here Logan. How do you feel?"

"Like tha Brotherhood used meh as a piñata for a few hours."

Ororo chucked softly and shook her head. "Oh Logan. Even when you're horrendously injured and had a brush with death, you still crack jokes." Her smile saddened and she looked away for a few beats before she turned her gaze back onto her friend. She bit her lip, obviously having something else to say.

"What is it 'Ro?"

She hesitated for a second, then sighed loudly. "What happened in there Logan? I mean a whole section of a wall in the Rec Room is completely destroyed, the window in the Danger Room is beyond shattered, and the Danger Room? Hank is still trying to assess the damage. When we finally managed to break down the door, Logan you were broken and in a pool of your own blood. Your spine was ruptured and your legs cracked-" Her voice broke with sadness and she took a few deep breaths to get her emotions under control. "Hank had to break your spine again and set both of your legs so they would heal properly. You've been out for a few days." She looked at him expectantly.

Logan shrugged and then winced as a flash of agony shot through his back again. "All I remember is arguin' with Amara, her hittin' meh, a storm, and then lights out." He paused for a second, then realization hit him. He turned his head and ignored the pain as his eyes desperately roved around the room.

"She's not here, Logan."

He stopped his search and slowly regarded his friend again.

"We brought her here to check for any injuries. She woke up after a few hours, took one look at you, and ran out of here. Hasn't left her room since."

"Why?"

"I don't know. She won't talk to anyone, Logan. I try bringing meals to her, but every time I come back I see the same tray of food untouched. Logan, I'm- I fear for her."

Logan nodded in understanding, his gaze moving to the ceiling, deep in thought.

"Emma fears her, of her powers, her temper. She wants to kick her out."

Logan tensed and his head snapped back to Ororo, his gaze asking questions his mouth couldn't form.

"I just came from a meeting with her. Don't worry, Amara is free to stay here with us for as long as she wants. Emma put up a good fight, but I reminded her of the Professor, of his philosophy. He would never throw out a person so broken and hurt and confused."

He visibly relaxed and returned his gaze to the ceiling. Why do I care about this woman so much? She almost killed meh, he thought. Then it hit him. That pain and anguish and just sheer fury… He recognized it. He'd had the same thing. He remembered what it was like, when he first woke up in the woods. Logan was filled with rage. Anger towards himself, towards his lack of memories, towards anyone and everyone who tried to help him. He hated the hand he had been dealt, and though there was nothing that could change that, he could not accept it. Amara was mad at the world, and mad at herself, and instead of seeing that, he had been an asshole, fueling her anger. God, just once he'd like to not fuck up when it came to women. Ororo had begun speaking again and he tried to focus on her voice.

"… but I don't know how much longer that would be. She's- she's killing herself, Logan. And you were unconscious and looked so horrible and were in so much pain-I feel like, I feel like there's nothing I can do I just… Oh goddess!" The walls broke, and Ororo lowered her head against Logan's cot, sobbing. He patted her hand comfortingly, whispering soothing words to calm her down.

She cried for a few minutes, letting all the frustrations of the past few days wash away. Logan petted her hair softly, allowing her to release everything. After a few moments her sobs subsided, reduced to quiet sniffling. She lifter head gaze Logan an apologetic smile. "Thanks."

"Anytime, 'Ro."

She wiped her eyes and grasped Logan's hand. "I don't know what happened between you two, both in the past and the present, but because of it, I think you're the only person she'll talk to."

Logan stared up at the ceiling again, considering what she said and looking for answers he just didn't have.

"I'd understand if you don't want to, considering what she did to you-"

"No, no I need ta know. I'm done runnin' away from my problems, 'Ro. Whatever it is that I did, I hurt her. Badly. It's time I take responsibility for that shit."

Ororo smiled and nodded. "I'll go get her from her room."

"Thank ya."

Ororo swept out of the med bay, leaving Logan alone with his thoughts. No matter what is said, I have to tell her. I have to get her to understand… She's not a monster, she's not alone, and she's not weak. He smiled to himself at that last part, imagining all the ways, at least that he knew about, that Amara was fast becoming one of the strongest people he knew.

 _Amara_

So cold. Everything around her was just so cold. Amara grasped her sheets tighter to her body and curled even more into herself. Everything was just shit. Her life was shit. Her powers were shit. And these damn nightmares? Fuck that shit. These past few days have been straight from hell. First, she loses control of emotions, and thus her powers, and almost kills Logan, the man she had decided to lay off of. Now everything from her past has come back full force. The people whose faces she will always remember, it's always the same. The fear mixed with disgust then rage. She saw it in the faces of the men who captured her and her father, the jailers, the fellow prisoners, the men in the streets, the cops, and after the little stunt she pulled, the looks the X-Men had given her when she had awoken. Like she was a monster. She'd been considered a monster her whole life, but she always brushed off. Convinced herself that people's opinions didn't matter, that she knew who she was, what she was, and that was that.

But then, then she saw Logan. Battered and broken, bloodied and bruised, and she knew, she just _knew_ that her time was up. No more pretending. No more convincing or denying. This was it. She had to accept it. She _was_ a monster. What kind of person would do that to someone else? Would beat them within an inch of their lives? If Logan didn't have that healing factor… She would have killed him. He would be dead. And that, through all of the other terrors that were now plaguing her, hiding in the shadows and haunting her dreams, that thought is what has been torturing her the most.

She threw the covers off of her and shifted onto her back. She glared up at the ceiling, not really seeing what was in front of her. Everything was just blurs and colors. Blinking rapidly did nothing to correct her vision, and her patience was waning fast. She gnashed her teeth and ground her fists into her eye sockets. Didn't help. She inwardly groaned, shut her eyes as tight as she could and counted down from ten. Taking a deep, calming breath, she opened them. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.

"Da-daddy?" She choked out.

Her father grinned widely, his eyes crinkling in the corners just the way she loved. He stared down at her lovingly, and she understood why her mother had always told people she was only the incubator. Amara was the spitting image of her father. They had the same eyes, nose, mouth, even the hair was the same just hers was slightly longer. Finally her brain remembered one of its main functions and Amara released the breath she forgot she was holding.

"How's my little princess doing?"

Amara felt tears streak down her face, and she quickly wiped them away before her father could see them.

"Fine, daddy. I'm- I'm fine."

"No I know I raised you better than that. You better stop lying and tell what's wrong."

She chuckled sadly and moved her hands from her eyes, letting the tears fall freely. "You always could see right through me. Daddy, I- I messed up. He's here daddy. The man who so kind to you, to us. James, well he goes by Logan now, but daddy, he's here. He doesn't remember anything about what happened. He doesn't remember and I told myself… Well I decided that it wouldn't be fair for me to continue to blame him for the past. But every time I saw him daddy, I just, I lost it. And last time, I hurt him so bad… I almost killed him, daddy."

She barely got the last sentence out before the tears fell harder, streaking down the sides of her face and soaking her pillows. She saw her father's face get closer, and she closed her eyes when she felt his lips press to her forehead.

"I don't even remember doing it, what kind of person does that to another? I'm- I'm just what they said I was. A monster. A freak of nature…."

Her sobs eventually subsided, instead being replaced with the soft shushes coming from her dad.

When she finally got control of herself, she wiped her eyes and regarded the face in front of her. His smile was replaced by the same soft smirk she remembered he always wore when he was about to share some wisdom.

"Baby, you are not a monster. Nor a freak of nature. Listen to me, a monster wouldn't have stayed in that prison when they know they could break free. A monster would not have chosen only to steal from those who looked like they could go without. A monster would not have come back with these people peacefully. And a monster would definitely not have stopped themselves from killing a man who caused them pain. Neither time. You understand me?"

Amara nodded slowly, letting his words sink in.

"Princess, you are so strong. Much stronger than the anger and hurt and betrayal you carry around within you. Look at me, really look and listen to me now." He paused, the seriousness in his face capturing Amara's attention and not letting go. "Let it go, sweet pea. You have to let it go."

She smiled and nodded again. Something rang in her head, and she turned to stare at her door for a few seconds before someone knocked.

"Amara?" It was Ororo.

Amara looked back and was dismayed to see her father's face retreating back into the ceiling.

"Daddy?"

"What was that?"

"Remember what I said, baby. Let it goooo…."

"Daddy please stay, please don't leave me. Not again."

"Amara are you alright?"

"Sweetpea, I've never left you. I'll always be with you…"

"Daddy wait!"

"Amara please let me in you're scaring me."

"I love you, princess…"

Her father graced with her one last smile, before his image disappeared completely.

"Daddy? DADDY?!"

"AMARA? Please…" Ororo knocked insistently, each knock harder than the last.

Amara hesitated for moment before she got up and moved towards the door.

"You know, if you keep banging like that, you'll break the door and I don't think the Ice Queen would be too happy."

The knocking stopped abruptly and she could hear a soft giggle. She smiled quickly and then took a breath. Here I go, she thought.

"Listen, Rory-"

"Don't worry about it."

Amara smiled again, and whispered a thank you.

"Listen, um, Logan woke up a few hours ago." Ororo paused for a second, as if expecting some sort of outburst from Amara. When she didn't get one she continued.

"He wants to see you, but is still to hurt to come upstairs. Will you come down with me?"

Amara froze as images of the fight and the result flashed through her head again. She backed away stiffly until she flopped onto her bed, her breathing ragged. Could she do it? Could she face him? After everything she's done? She pulled her knees up to her chest and considered it. If I open this door, there is no turning back, no more hiding. I can't keep the pain bottled up anymore, these people deserve to know why I'm like this. Especially Logan. I owe him every explanation in the world. But everything that happened… Her father's words rang in her head. _Let it go_.

"I will, daddy. I promise." She whispered, glancing up at the ceiling again.

She took a moment to collect herself then ran to her door and threw it open, startling Ororo with her abruptness.

"Let's do this shit."


	14. Chapter 14

_**Ello there! So this chapter is when Amara finally tells her story. It's kind of long, and if backstories are not your thing, then I apologize. I figured we got Fr enough into the story for me to force myself to come up with a past that would make sense. Be prepared for some feels. Review and Enjoy!**_

 _Logan_

"Hi."

Logan twisted his neck towards the med bay doors. He grimaced for a second as his body protested to the quick movement, but then smiled when he saw who it was.

"Hi."

Amara was only a few steps into the room, and, well to put it bluntly, she looked like shit. Her hair had loss its bounce and shine, instead looking rough and in different angles around her head. The bags under her eyes were a dark purple, speaking volumes on how much sleep she has gotten in the past few days. But it wasn't her hair or the bags that dismayed Logan, it was her overall being. Her posture was slouched, and it seemed as if all she wanted was to curl into herself. She kept a steady gaze at the floor, not even glancing up as the silence in the room lengthened. She was broken. Guilty. And Logan hated it.

"C'mere."

She shuffled her feet hesitantly towards his cot, stopping a few feet away. Logan's patience, between the pain, being confined to bed, and Amara's behavior, was officially done.

"Would ya move ya ass? Dammit woman I'm not gonna hurt ya!"

Amara had been in the process of moving closer when Logan's last remark stopped her in her tracks. Her gaze slowly lifted up to peer at him, and that's when Logan got the full force of everything- her tortured expression captured his and it took him a few seconds to continue breathing. He opened his mouth to say something, anything to make her stop, to make her see, but nothing was coming out. Her gaze shifted from his eyes to the bandages and bruises along his face and moved downward, taking in all of the damage his body sustained. The further down she got, the more self- hate and anguish he felt coming off of her, and he had to make it stop.

"Don't."

Amara's attention snapped back to Logan's eyes, her expression dead.

"Don't do this to yerself."

She took a shuddering breath and replied, "I know I just- I can't help it. Your injuries-"

"Are healin'. I'm fine, Amara."

Her eyes searched his, probing for any signs of deception and hurt, anger towards her, maybe even a little hate, but Logan knew she found none. Instead he hoped his eyes portrayed all the forgiveness and understanding he felt, the less words he had to use the better.

"Listen Amara-"

"I owe you an explanation."

Logan stopped and looked at her questioningly.

"Ya don't owe nobody nothin'. Least of all meh."

She shook her head fervently. "Not true. What I fucking did to you- "her voice broke and she paused. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down, then continued, "What happened only happened because I was weak-"

"That's bullshit-"

"Please let me finish-"

"I'm just sayin'-"

"For fuck's sake Logan can you please just shut the fuck up and let me get this shit out?!"

Logan was taken aback at her outburst, but only for a second. He smirked and made an over-exaggerating motioning with his hand. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. His smirk widened to a full grin. That's the Amara he remembered.

"What I was trying to say before you added your two cents-" She glared at him and then sighed, the spark he was happy to see started dissipating all too quickly, and the broken woman came back full force. "I was weak. I thought holding onto the past, onto everything that happened in my life, with you, with the prison- I thought it would make me stronger. Living in that hell-hole? Only the toughest survive and come out unscathed, both physically and psychologically. Or so I thought. I'm broken, Logan. Damaged past repair."

"Nothin' a little elbow grease can't fix."

She flashed a quick smirk and continued. "Holding onto my pain, harboring it? Only made it worse. I let it build up, and when I saw you, back in the forest, it kind of exploded. At first I was so grateful that Ororo had been there, that she was able to stop me. I thought I could be okay, that I could let it go. I mean you fucking saved my life! I tried to sweep it under the rug, forget about it. But I couldn't. You remember when I first got here, when I had that nightmare?"

"Ya mean when ya froze Hank's room, caused an earthquake, and threw Emma across the room?"

Amara snorted and nodded. "Well that wasn't exactly just a nightmare, you know caused by the trauma from that military asshole. That was a memory. Caused by… caused by seeing you."

Logan's eyebrows shot up in surprise and went to say something before Amara put her hand.

"I'm going to tell you what happened. I am going to tell you everything about me. Everything. I need to do this, I need to let go. And I need you to just fucking listen, okay? I need to get this out."

He clamped his mouth shut and looked at her expectantly.

She sighed loudly and sat down in the seat Ororo had sat in a few hours before.

"Okay, here we go. My mother was from here, well, not exactly here but she was from the States. Her name was Keira. She was in college, studying to become a doctor. My father used to tell me she was the most intelligent and compassionate person he's ever met."

She smiled sadly and stared at the ground for a few beats before resuming. "In her third year she went to Cairo to study abroad, and that's where she met my father. His name was Amaneth, he was an Egyptian soldier before he was shot. He was actually the first patient she ever operated on. She saved his life. Then you know, the whole fell in love mess happened, they got married, my mom graduated and stayed in Cairo to start her own practice. My father opened his own restaurant. Life was good, you know?"

Amara stopped and glanced up at Logan. He nodded and gestured for her to keep going. She took a steadying breath and said, "I never got to know my mother, she died during childbirth. My father also told me that his brother and his family had died recently from a fatal plane crash, and he couldn't handle it. He lost the restaurant and so we were thrown onto the streets. We moved around a lot, only had each other and that's all we needed. Those were some of the saddest yet happiest days of my life. Everything was great, until my fifth birthday."

"What happened on yer birthday?"

"You and your people happened."

Logan closed his eyes, bracing himself for what Amara was about to say.

"We were squatting in these ruins on the outskirts of town, only there for maybe a few hours before the welcome wagon showed up. You weren't a part of it. My father had just returned from pinching me a birthday apple when they walked in. He thought they were police and tried to explain the situation. But then, they said our names. The main guy said his name was William Stryker, and he was _very_ interested in what we could do. I had no idea what he was talking about. But I remember looking at my father… He was terrified. He quickly got up and said they had the wrong people, wrong information. Stryker just looked at him for a second then laughed. He replied, 'Of course we do. So sorry about that.' He turned to leave, then in comes your brother. Victor Creed. Grabbed me from behind, wouldn't let go. My father moved to fight him but Victor, he was such a conniving bastard. He- his nails became long and- and I remember him holding them to my throat-" Her hand absent-mindedly rubbed her neck. Her gaze shifted back to the floor.

"Threatened to slit my throat right then and there. Stryker said no, that they did not come to kill anyone, I thought he was stopping Victor. I will always remember the look he had on his face, that evil grin he had when he said, 'But we're not above other forms of persuasion.'" She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to provide warmth and comfort. Amara looked up when she heard a low growl coming from the cot in front of her. Logan was trying really, really hard to listen to her story without wanting to gut something, but it was fucking hard. Just the thought of what that piece of shit Stryker could have meant by that… His fists clenched and he forced himself to take deep, calming breaths, glad Amara noticed his state and decided to stop until he could calm himself down.

When he finally got a handle on his emotions, he unclenched his fists and sighed.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, it's a tough story to fucking hear."

"Tougher to share I'm guessin'?"

Amara stared at him for a moment before nodding slightly. "Like pulling teeth, but it has to be done."

He sighed and reached over to her arms, pausing only to silently ask for permission. Amara nodded and he gently grasped her hand and brought it over to the cot. He squeezed it quickly and smiled softly at her, signaling her to continue.

"So, they asked my father if he would come with them. He said no. Then fucking Freddy Kruger took a swipe at my chest. I just remember this flash of pure agony, red soaking my clothes, and my father's scream. But I didn't hear mine. I- I didn't even make a sound. I was so fucking scared and confused and mad- it made me numb. I distantly remember hearing Stryker ask my father if he would come with them again. This time he said yes. Then they put his hands in these shackles, and dragged him out, the last thing I remember from then is him screaming my name before I passed out. I didn't know that would be the last time I saw him, complete, whole. Woke up in a cell, ankle shackled to the wall, and you staring at me through the grates."

Logan winced and asked, "What- what did I do ta ya?"

Amara sighed and placed her other hand over Logan's. "You were nice."

"What?"

Amara's eyes filled with tears. "You were nice. Kind. Compassionate. You visited me three times every day. You talked to me about everything and anything. Brought me books to read to keep me busy, even played cardscwith me whenever you got a chance. You used to get so mad at me when I'd beat you at poker. I never lost. Never could figure out how I did it." She laughed at the fond memory.

He chuckled and replied, "Side note, how did ya do it? Ya don't strike me as a hardcore poker player."

She smiled wistfully and answered, "Nah, not so good at poker, but great at cons and I have fast hands."

"Ya cheated?"

She laughed and nodded.

"Figures."

As the laughter faded, Logan could see the sadness return across her features. It was heart breaking. "Listen, darlin' ya don't need ta-"

"Yes I do." She gave him a stern look before looking down at their hands, tears welling in her eyes. Almost subconsciously Logan had been tracing circles around her knuckles, sometimes following the patterns her tattoos presented, other times doing his own thing.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean ta upset ya-" His hand stopped and began retracting to his side of the bed before her hand grasped his harder.

"No. It's just that- Stryker was not keeping my father there for a friendly visit, the bastard was experimenting on him. Apparently my grandfather was a mutant, a very powerful one at that, but my father did not inherit any mutant abilities. Stryker didn't understand it, so he, um, he…" Her voice trailed off.

"Experimented on him." Logan finished for her. She nodded.

"You would always come in when they did, try to comfort me. You used to trace my knuckles just like how you are now." She smiled sadly. "It always worked to calm me down. I could bear my father's screams and pleas because you were always there for me. You told me you would always protect me, that you would save my father, that you'd get us out of there and to safety. Then, everything changed. I heard footsteps coming towards my cell one night, I remember being excited thinking it was you. I think I had just read a story I wanted to tell you about. Then my door opened, and it wasn't you. It was Stryker."

Logan fists involuntarily clenched again and he bared his teeth.

"He told me my father gave them everything they needed, that they would be disposing of him soon, and that I was next." A few tears escaped her eyes and Logan used his thumb to gently rub them away.

"I wasn't scared, I had you, and you would protect me. They took me to a room and chained me to the wall. There were so many people there, all looking at me, watching me. Taking notes and probing me… It was fucking horrible. But then I saw you, and I knew it'd all be okay. You were yelling something I couldn't make out, but then Stryker leaned in and whispered something to you, and you stopped. All I remember is you staring at him for a second, then looking at me. You turned around and followed Stryker out of the room. Soon everyone left and the lights were dimmed. Then I saw a spark and something set ablaze. It was- it was my dad. I was so scared and I hated hearing him screaming and the smell was horrendous… It was too much. I cracked. All I remember is thinking of how hot he must be, how I needed to cool him down-"

"Tha nightmare?"

"Yes. I froze everything in that room, but it was too late. He was gone." One sob escaped her lips before she tried to contain it and finish her story. "But I couldn't stop. The past few months hit me all at once, and I saw Stryker's face leering down at me, and I just lost it. I'm told it was the biggest hurricane in Africa's history. I don't remember. The only thing I do? Your face. When you looked at me, you had tears in your eyes, Logan. Logan you _knew_. You knew what they were going to do, and you left! You fucking left-"

Finally the walls broke down, and Amara collapsed against the cart, crying for her father, for herself, for just about everything. Logan had long ago stopped fighting the tears. They flowed freely from his eyes as he ignored the pain and grabbed Amara into a tight hug. He held her shuddering form as tight as he could, rubbing circles on her back and whispering as many sorrys as he could, praying to God one of them would mean it, would convey everything he was feeling.

After about a half an hour, Amara's sobs had all but diminished to sniffling. She lightly disengaged herself from Logan and smiled apologetically.

"You may want to get Hank to give you some new threads. I may have got some snot on them."

"Then I'll tell him to burn 'em."

She chuckled and wiped her eyes.

"Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"I forgive you and I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry and I forgive ya."

They both just stared at each other, smiling brightly until the med doors burst open and an agitated Emma burst in. She was soaked head to toe and was obviously seething.

"I would appreciate it Amara if you would cease with your emotional outbursts. Today's forecast was supposed to be sunny. Look at my chinchilla coat! It's ruined! You will be buying me another." And with that she stormed out, leaving puddles of water and followed by both Logan's and Amara's guffaws.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter is way longer than I intended, just as a heads up! Little bit of sadness, but lots of fun and laughs. Let me know what you think!**_

 _Amara_

"Good job, Amara! Now just focus, don't let the storm control you." Ororo said.

Amara nodded and furrowed her brow as she concentrated. Ororo was making good on her promise by helping Amara learn to control her powers. She had Amara form a small rain cloud, and was instructing her to water the plants in the green house.

"You know, when you said you were gonna help me with my control, this is not what I imagined."

"Well, you have to start somewhere, and from what I've seen, this is it."

"So I'm gonna have to keep making these baby clouds?" Amara whined.

"It took you almost an hour to create it that small so yes. Make sure to add extra water to that one, it dries out very easily in this environment." Amara sighed and obliged. She made her way deeper into the greenhouse as she asked Ororo more questions.

"Have you figured out what my powers are exactly? Like I can create storms and whatnot, so do I have the same mutation as you?"

Ororo shook her head and answered, "That's what I thought at first, but you are a whole level above me, and let's not forget you not only created a forest, the animals that inhabited it, and an entire lake, you can also communicate with those animals and can even cause spontaneous ice to form and shift the earth."

"Soooo…"

"I have no idea what your powers are."

"Great."

They reached the final few plants and Amara paused when she glanced at the last one.

"What's wrong with this one?"

"I have no idea, it was growing fine when I first got it, but lately, I do not understand why it has been struggling. I am going to have to get another one soon."

"Hm..." Amara moved closer to the plant and tried watering it a little extra. She closed her eyes and allowed her heightened senses to feel out the plant. She felt no difference, it was still dying.

"May I try something?"

Ororo gestured for her to go ahead.

Amara dissipated the rain cloud and took another step forward. She placed a gentle hand on the stem of the drooping plant and another on the soil. Taking a deep breath, she furrowed her brow again. Ororo peered over her shoulder and gasped as the plant began to come back to life. The leaves regained their bright green hue and thickness, and the plant righted itself. New buds had formed, and soon little flowers began to bloom.

"Amara…" Ororo whispered in awe. "It's beautiful."

Amara removed her hands from the plant cautiously, expecting it to wither immediately. Instead, the leaves stayed green, the flowers finished blooming, and the plant remained alive and thriving.

Both woman took a step back and stared at the plant, one in obvious fascination, while the other deep in thought.

"I have a theory, it's batshit crazy, but it's a theory."

"Amara how many times do I have to tell you about the language-"

"Just hear me out okay? No swears, scout's honor." Amara performed a quick salute and looked at Ororo pleadingly.

"Fine, go ahead."

"Okay, so you said that I'm a Level 5 mutant, correct?"

"Yes…"

"Well what does that mean?"

"The only Level 5 mutant I've ever met was the late Jean Grey. Her powers were highly unstable, but also limitless. She was stronger than the Professor."

"Wow, okay… Well, here it is. All the things you mentioned earlier? What do they all have in common?"

Ororo shrugged.

"Nature, 'Rory! I mean think about it for a sec. I can create all forms of natural disasters. Communicate with animals. Have heightened senses involving anything alive. I mean for fuc- um fudge's sake, I created a lake. And T'Challa and Tumbili-"

"Excuse me but who?"

"Oh sorry the black panther and the monkey."

"Oh?" Ororo gave Amara a questioning stare which Amara ignored as she continued.

"Yeah so they were telling me last week that when that piece of shi- um, sunshine shot at my head, they said this kind of force field made of what they claimed was air stopped it, protecting me. And before when he shot me in the shoulder, I remember feeling this rush of air, and, call me crazy or whatever, but I think it increased the speed of the bullet."

"Meaning…?"

"Well, my bullet wound was a clean through, right?"

Ororo's eyes lit up with realization. "Oh my Goddess! Amara, I must tell you something. Please come sit." Ororo grabbed Amara's hand and led her to a bench in the corner. They sat down briskly, and Amara glanced at the weather goddess with worry. Ororo had adopted a far- off look and looked years older than she actually was. Amara felt horrible for bringing whatever repressed memories she had back to the surface, and was about to apologize when Ororo broke the silence.

"We were at Alkali Lake. The X-Men I mean. A man had recreated Cerebro, and was tricking the professor into exterminating the entire mutant population. We managed to get him out safely and had made our way to the X-Jet, but it wouldn't lift off and the dam was breaking- we thought we were going to die." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Jean exited the Jet, held the water at bay while lifting us into the air. She sacrificed herself to save all of us."

Amara quickly wrapped Ororo in hug, saying, "She must have loved you all very much. That was so selfless of her."

Ororo nodded and wiped a stray tear from her eye. "That was our Jean, kind and compassionate until the very last moment. Little did we know that that was far from her last moment."

Amara raised an eyebrow in question as Ororo proceeded to explain the last few month's events, ending at the funerals of Jean, the Professor, and Scott. A deep sadness invaded their environment, and the silence stretched on.

"I'm so sorry, 'Rory. I had no idea…"

Ororo patted her hand comfortingly. "It's okay now, Amara. I have come to terms with what happened. Thank you for letting me share this with you. But I did not tell you this story simply for the sake of telling it, I wanted to make a point. Jean was a Level 5 mutant. She should have drowned back the lake, but she didn't. Her mutation saved her life. And, from at least what I could see, every time her powers flared up, it was because she must have felt threatened in some way. I think the same theory applies to you. Your powers protect you when you feel threatened, whether consciously or subconsciously."

Amara allowed that to sink in for a second before she answered.

"Holy shit."

"Indeed."

Before either could continue their discussion, a grunt and a loud curse came from the entrance, and both women shared an inquisitive look before moving to investigate. The closer they got, the louder the now ongoing argument became. Finally reaching the entrance, Amara and Ororo could barely contain their laughter at what they found. Hank and Logan had been tasked to carry a few bags of fertilizer into the green house, and for some unknown reason, the bags were ruptured and their slightly smelly contents were everywhere including on the two helpers. Though, the majority was on a now scowling Logan.

"Ya had one job, furball. These were my favorite pants!"

"Oh please, Logan. Would you like me to fetch $10 to replace them?"

"Only ten bucks?"

"You cannot seriously think they are worth more than that can you?"

"That's it." Logan made a move to grab Hank, but the beast was much too quick, expertly dodging out of the way. Logan slumped his shoulders as if in defeat and sighed huskily.

"Well tha least ya can do is help meh clean this shit up. Pun intended."

Hank chuckled and moved closer, making to grab one of the intact bags before a large wad of brown hit him smack in the face. Hank screwed his nose in disgust as the smell hit him full force and he tried to wipe as much off of his face as possible. He looked for the culprit, his eyes landing on a smirking Logan.

"That was highly unnecessary and immature, Logan!" Ororo exclaimed, giving him a disapproving glare.

"I dunno, teach. That was fucking hilarious! I mean did you see Hank's face? Motherfucking priceless!" Amara was doubled over in laughter, using a small potted tree as support. That's the reason she barely had time to duck before a ball of manure came her way.

"Omigod, 'Rory? You sure you want to start this right now?"

A few more clumps of fertilizer came her way, some splashing across her chest before she found cover behind a table. Hank and Ororo's laughs rang throughout the otherwise silent green house, and a look of sheer determination came across Amara's face. It's on, she thought. She heard a wet smacking sound and grinned when she heard Ororo scream in disgust and Hank protest. Seconds later, a figure jumped behind the same cover with Amara. She immediately covered her face and made to leave before a thick hand pulled her back.

Logan was grinning sheepishly and wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Hey Hank, let's make this interesting, huh? Ya and 'Ro versus meh and Amara. Loser has to buy dinner tonight."

"You're on! But no powers Logan. I mean it."

"C'mon, would I be one ta cheat?"

"Yes you would."

Logan scoffed loudly and grabbed at his heart, mock offended. Amara giggled and leaned in close so as to not be heard by their opponents.

"No powers?" She whispered.

"Seems that way." He mumbled back.

"But Logan, we have heightened senses, we can't just fucking turn them off."

"Well, they shoulda thought of that 'fore they agreed." A slow smile grew on Amara's face and her eyes got this mischievous glint that caught Logan's attention and he smiled. He loved the playful Amara much more than murderous 'fuck you' version.

They heard a quiet rustling to their right and shared a quick look before they were off further into the green house. Some loud cackling sounded behind them and Amara had to cover her mouth to stifle the laughter that was bubbling up her throat. 'Rory sounds like a maniac, she thought.

She took stock of her surroundings and cursed under her breath. Not only could she feel Ororo and Hank closing in on her, but she had lost Logan. Fuck this. She crouched when she heard a branch crack under someone's foot. She frantically looked for some form of cover. Gratefully seeing a large bush in a corner, Amara wasted no time as she darted and weaved through plants of a surprisingly large variety and dived into her hiding spot. Its thick leaves provided perfect camouflage. Amara pushed herself against the wall behind her and parted a few leaves out of the way to await her pursuers. She furrowed her brows as she strained to pick up anything to give her a clue as to where the two mutants were. A shadow came into her line of sight and she gasped with shock and threw herself against the wall, grimacing when she realized that glass was a very unforgiving solid. Very solid. As she rubbed her shoulder the figure squatted next to her and chuckled quietly.

"Damn, woman. Ya taking this game waaaay too seriously. How'd tha wall feel?"

A look of surprise came across his face when he felt Amara's fist connect with his shoulder, hard.

"Shit! What tha hell was that for?"

Amara smirked as she replied, "You asked how the wall felt. I just showed you."

He grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder with his other hand. "No gratitude havin' ass…"

Amara smiled wider and took in Logan's disgruntled disposition. That was when she realized he had a hand full of manure.

"So that's where you went!"

"How tha fuck else were we supposed ta win? Ya gonna throw plants?"

"Oh shut up. I'm so sick of your shit."

Logan gave her a wary look, thinking this was going to become an argument and trying to find an escape route when she started giggling.

"Get it? 'Sick of your shit'? Playing a game that involves throwing manure…"

Did she just make a pun? He stared at her in confusion for a few beats. Who was this woman and where was the closed off Amara? He slowly came to realize that the past few days had been like this, joking and carefree. Ever since the 'Incident' as Emma deemed it and then the 'Talk to end all talks' as he fondly called it, Amara and him have been on great terms, and he would as far as to say they were friends. They had a lot in common other than their pasts. I mean, she loves beer and motorcycles for fuck's sake, he thought. I think I found my equal. A soft smile played on his lips as he continued to stare at the woman in front of him.

Her giggles were snuffing out when she realized that Logan was just staring at her, not comprehending the joke and in his own little world.

"Guess you had to be there."

He didn't respond right away and she snapped her fingers repeatedly trying to get his attention.

"So what's the plan boss man, how do you plan on winning?"

Logan snapped out of his reverie and focused on the situation at hand.

"Hank and 'Ro are glued to each other's sides, when we take 'em out, it's gonna have ta be all at once."

"Can we just double back and take them by surprise?"

"Nah, Hank's got a great sniffer on him. He'd smell us from a mile away."

Amara nodded and looked out at the room, deep in thought. She caught sight of a watering hose and stared at it for a few beats. A light bulb went off and she grasped Logan's arm excitedly.

"I fucking got it!" She leaned in and whispered her plan, barely keeping her voice to a whisper as her excitement mounted.

Logan's face changed from caution to intrigue to impressed.

"That's so crazy it may just work."

"Let's do this shit… Pun intended."

 _Hank_

Hank paused for a second, taking a long whiff of the air. He smiled and turned to Ororo. She raised her eyebrow in question and he gestured his head to the left.

"Amara's behind the bush over there."

"Great, let's flank her, but keep your wits about you. Logan could be anywhere."

Hank nodded and moved off to the right, silently cutting off Amara's escape route. Ororo got into position and waited until Hank got settled. They shared a look and Hank mentally counted to three before jumping behind the bush. He quickly raised his hand, full of fertilizer, but stopped himself before he finished the throw. There was no one there, and the only clue that Amara had ever been there was her manure-covered shirt. He bent down and lifted the shirt to his nose, taking a sniff. This is what he smelt? She must have known about his enhanced ability to scent. But that would mean- Shit!

"Ororo quick find cover, it's a-" SPLAT!

Hank was cut off as a handful of fertilizer hit him square in the face. Again. Another splat was heard off to his left and Hank frowned at the colorful vocabulary that was flying out of his girlfriend's mouth. They had lost, horribly so. He angrily wiped at the mess on his face, trying to clear his eye sight. He heard chortling behind him and he whipped around.

"What were you saying shitface? Ha get it? I'm a fucking riot." Amara was pointing at Hank and wiping tears out of her eyes she was laughing so hard. She was soaking wet and dripping water everywhere. Slightly shivering, she had her other arm wrapped around her chest, trying to provide warmth and probably trying to hide her indecency. Hank quickly adverted his eyes when he realized she was only in her sports bra, but quickly forgot about his embarrassment when she continued to gloat.

"Wait I got another one, I mean you believe this shit? Hahaha, oh man this shit is too easy… HA! I did it again, I didn't even mean to do that last one."

"Jeez, can ya give it a rest already? We won, lay it ta rest." Logan, also soaking wet, emerged from behind a seething Ororo trying hard, and failing, to hide his amusement. He quickly dodged away from the weather goddess, escaping her assault as she cussed him out.

"'Ro, ya wanna watch the language there, darling'?"

She grabbed some of the remainder of the manure of her clothes and hit Logan square in the chest.

"Hey we already won, stop playing dirty- goddamnit I did it again."

Hank took one look at Logan's scowl and he couldn't contain his laughter. Ororo joined in, and Logan's scowl grew deeper.

"And what are ya laughing at furball?" He lightning fast approached Hank and smacked him with a palm full of manure to shut him up. He doubled over in laughter and let out a surprised grunt when Hank tackled him to the ground, trying to rub his face on the fertilizer left on the floor.

"Now look at the mess you got us into, 'Rory. Shit, I did it again. Shit! I mean dammit. This shit's getting out of hand- Fuck! Guys help, I can't stop the puns!"

Ororo was on the floor, holding her sides and struggling to breath she was laughing so hard. Logan and Hank managed to separate, but were still flinging remnants of manure at each other. Hank took a handful and flung it at Logan's head. He managed to duck out of the way and dive behind cover. Hank had thrown the pile with a little too much force, and it flew towards the entrance. The door opened and in that exact moment Emma stormed in.

"What is the meaning of-" SPLAT!

The following silence was deafening, and was only interrupted by Amara's utterance of "Oh shit."


	16. Chapter 16

_**I'm so happy that people liked the last chapter. That was definitely one of my favorites to write. It's definitely much easier to write than the action scenes, or even the angsty scenes. This is probably not how most people write stories, but Amara's personality mirrors mine almost perfectly, with her sarcasm and her witty remarks. I think that's why I just love writing her scenes, her responses just seem so real and credible to me. And then the bantering and the horrible jokes you can't help but laugh at… I'm not gonna lie, I had to take breaks when I was writing simply because I was laughing so hard. Now this started light- hearted then it got away from me, but still a little humor. Enjoy and as always, let me know how I did!**_

 _Emma_

"It was distasteful and I will not be having the staff here acting like savage animals." Emma was done with everyone's shenanigans. She had heard the screams and laughter coming from the green house, and had tried to ignore them, trying her best to finish the final grades for the last semester. But the group's persistence continued, and they had simply gotten louder and louder, causing Emma to go put a stop to it. Very, very bad idea, as her ruined white turtleneck and two hour long shower would attest to.

She glared at her (now clean thank goodness) colleagues. Only Ororo and Hank looked genuinely ashamed, as evidenced by Ororo's down cast gaze and pursed lips. Hank had spent ten minutes apologizing and would send her an apologetic glance every few minutes during her scolding. At least these two have the decency to behave appropriately to their behavior. Logan and Amara, though were a whole other story.

"And just what tha hell is wrong wit animals?"

Logan. Emma shifted her glare to the burly man with impatience. His posture shouted boredom, his arm propped up on the arm of his chair, supporting his head. He was chewing on an unlit cigar, and it took all of her control to refrain from snatching it away. Uncivilized indeed.

"All animals throw around feces, Logan. It's disgusting, vile, and mortifying and I will not stand for it here."

"Um excuse me boss lady?"

And there goes the cause of all of Emma's problems. Amara… If I had known the trouble she would have caused my school, I wouldn't have notified the team of her presence at all, she thought. Everywhere this woman went, trouble followed. She froze Hank's room, caused thousands of dollars of damage to the school grounds, and Emma did not even want to think about the report Hank had dropped off this morning concerning the destruction of the Danger Room. Damn Ororo and her sentiments. Charles may have still offered a home to this ragamuffin, but she'd like to see just how he'd handle these disturbances.

"What? You know what never mind, if you have nothing apologetic or constructive to say, just shut it, okay?"

"Well Sassy McSassy Pants, I was just going to relay to you that not all animals throw around their feces. Only monkeys do."

"And how in the hell is that constructive?"

"Um, maybe because knowledge is power, and just seeing as you're a teacher, I assumed you'd see the value in that, but you know don't sweat it. 14% of adults are uneducated so you're not alone."

Logan burst out laughing while Emma's eyebrows twitched in frustration. Hank cleared his throat awkwardly as Ororo slapped Amara's arm in reproach. Amara was unaffected, giving Emma that infuriating smirk she hated. This twit is not going to sit here and humiliate me, not in my fucking office, Emma thought angrily. She wants to dish it out, she better be able to take it.

"70% of inmates are illiterate, so I understand where your undeveloped vocabulary came from."

The smirk on Amara's face faltered for a quick second before it returned, but more noticeable, exclusively for Emma, was the mental warning Amara sent unconsciously. It felt… cold. Emma shivered involuntarily remembering the last time she tried to enter Amara's mind. Thankfully the chilliness receded just as quickly, leaving Emma beyond confused and in awe. She has never encountered someone so untrained yet so mentally resilient. Amara doesn't even know what she was doing, and Emma seriously considered training her in mental warfare. She could be an invaluable asset, why haven't I thought of this before?

"That is very kind of you, Emma. For understanding such an uncivilized miscreant like me, I mean. You really deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for this selfless service you have done for the world, you know that? But- oop, what's this?" Amara lifted her hand, folding the necessary fingers to form an imaginary phone, bringing it to her ear. "What's that? Yep, yep don't worry, I'll tell her. Um Emma? I have Madonna on the phone, she wants me to tell you to stop stealing her look from the 90s? Do you wanna talk to her?"

Ah. That was why she hasn't thought of it. The _mouth_ on this one! And the brashness… It's amazing someone can have so little filter when they speak, it's like she thrives on being an imbecile. Logan leaned forward in his chair, chewed cigar forgotten as he took in the scene in front of him with anticipation. Hank and Ororo shared a nervous glance, and Ororo opened her mouth to intervene but what was interrupted by Emma's response.

"Don't you ever tire of hearing your voice, because I know as God is my witness I do."

Amara tilted her head to the side for moment, considering Emma's words. She lifted the fake phone to her ear again and said, "Sorry Ms. Madonna? Yup, I'm gonna have to call you back. Yep, yep she's having another one of her episodes. So sorry for wasting your time. Thank you, and work that tooth gap, girl!" She put her hand in her pants pocket and stared at Emma innocently. Emma slowly stood up and clenched and unclenched her fists, her patience gone. Amara also stood, but with a much more relaxed air, placing both hands on her waist as she jutted her hip out. She smirked again, which was the final straw for Emma.

"Listen you little shit. This place? It's a home and refuge for all mutants, and will always have its doors open. But people like you? I swear you make good people like the great Professor himself rollover in his grave. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Amara struck a thoughtful stance and looked up to the ceiling, searching for answers. "Hmm… Well for starters, I got these powers I have no real idea how to control. My hair can be really unruly sometimes, oh and I have horrible morning breath-"

"Do you just think everything is a joke? Where did you're parents go wrong with you?"

Amara's smirk fell and the playful air was gone in an instant. "My parents did everything they could for me, you don't know shit."

"Well they obviously didn't do enough looking at how you turned out." Emma hissed, momentarily adding extra venom to her words. She smirked at how Amara tensed, but then regretted her words as she saw the hurt that flashed across her face. She had obviously hit a nerve, and Amara may be an ass, but at least her jabs had never hit below the belt. She inwardly sighed, Great, now I have to apologize. "Listen, Amara-"

"You wanna know what's wrong with me? People like you, Ice Queen. People who sit up on their pedestals and look down on the rest of us. You just think you're so much better than everyone else but guess what? You're fucking not, Animal Terminator. Your shit still smells, just like everyone else's." She shouldered past Emma and stormed out of the room.

The room's remaining inhabitants sat in silence for a few awkward moments before Ororo spoke up.

"I think you may have gone a step too far, Emma."

Emma collapsed into Amara's abandoned seat and sighed.

"I know I have. It's just she opens her mouth and the stuff that comes out-" She pinched her nose in frustration. "We couldn't be more different."

"Well there's gotta be more ta it than that. We different, but we ain't at each other's necks all tha time, darlin'."

"And why is that, Logan? Why do things work between us?"

"Isn't that obvious? Ya think I'm sexy and can't bring yerself ta be mean ta me." He smirked as Emma rolled her eyes. He grunted as he stood up and stretched. "I'm gonna check on Amara."

"Logan?"

Logan paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder.

"Tell her I'm sorry?"

He grinned and nodded before walking out and quietly closing the door behind him.

"She really is a nice woman when you get to know her." Hank said.

"Guess I'll just have to take your word for it, Hank. Changing topic, would the both of you stay and help me shift through the expenses this 'nice woman' of ours is costing us?"

 _Logan_

After leaving Emma's office, Logan moved to go upstairs to the bedrooms but stopped halfway there. From what I know bout Amara, she wouldn't go runnin' ta her room if she was upset, he thought. He turned around and briskly walked through the mansion and out the back door. He took a deep breath and smiled. He quickly re-entered the house and exited with two bottles of beer. Angling himself towards the lake, his eyes roamed the bank until they landed on his target. He picked up his pace slightly.

Amara was sitting on a log, facing the water. Her two ride-or-dies were there as well, the monkey sitting to her left and the panther at her feet. The two baby monkeys were in the lake, splashing each other and laughing, earning a few loud warnings coming from the mom. Amara was absently scratching the panther's head while staring at the ebb and flow of the lake. Logan lowered himself on her right, feeling a calm wash over him as he heard the water lap at the shore. He released a single claw and popped the caps off the beers, handing one over to Amara. She tore her gaze off of the lake and looked at the bottle, a raised eyebrow asking a silent question.

"Look, either ya drink this one here, or I drink 'em both. Either way, I ain't returnin' ta tha house wit any beer left." He pushed it towards her and she took it, gracing him with a thankful smile. They both looked out at the lake again, each taking a long drink.

"This tastes like piss."

"It'll put some hair on ya chest."

"Oh thanks, that's what every woman wants to hear."

"If ya don't want yers-"

"Whoa, slow down there, cowboy. Beer is beer. No matter how shitty it is."

"Ya really know a way ta a man's heart."

She smirked and took another swig. She moved her scratching to behind the panther's ears and he purred his satisfaction.

"They don't completely hate you, you know."

"Really?" Logan glanced down at the panther and saw it nod, as if confirming her words. He leaned forward and considered the monkey. She glared at him for a second before returning her attention to her kids. Well, at least she wasn't glaring at him with obvious contempt like before.

"They told me what you did, back in the forest with that asshole. You earned their respect. ALL of our respect." She gave him a sideways glance before continuing. "I never thanked you for that by the way."

"Don't sweat it."

"What do you mean 'don't sweat it'? You saved my life, Logan. Don't you fucking dare sweep that under the rug."

"Okay..? Give meh all yer gold, in payment for my heroic deeds."

Amara rolled her eyes and chuckled. "You are such a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"Ya should talk, ya gotta smarter mouth than meh."

"Yeah… dammit that's another thing wrong with me." She snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. "Missed opportunity."

"She is sorry fer what she said."

"Yeah, I know she fucking is." Amara sighed and looked down at the almost empty bottle in her hands. "And I know I instigate shit probably way more than I should, it's just…" She trailed off.

"It's yer defense mechanism." Logan turned his attention from the water to the woman next to him. Her face was so open, he felt like he could look into her battered soul.

"Ya use it ta keep people at bay, ya hide yer pain behind witty remarks and smart-ass comments."

"That was spot on."

"I got tha same problem."

"You? A smartass? Nah, never."

"Ya'd be surprised."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, each not filling the need to ramble aimlessly. The two baby monkeys had tired themselves out, and Amara and Logan watched as they half ran half stumbled their way to the log, finally tripping and landing on the panther's back. He didn't even acknowledge their presence as they snuggled up on his fur and were asleep in seconds. Amara chuckled at their antics and Logan grinned.

"Can I just ask ya a serious question?"

Amara turned her head and regarded him with a wary expression. "Depends."

"On?"

"What you ask, somethings if I tell, I'd have to fucking kill you."

He smirked. Ya've already tried, he thought.

"Okay, so, uh, Madonna from tha 90s? Do ya consider this shit before ya talk?"

Amara burst out laughing and covered her face in embarrassment. "Honestly no. That shit just comes up in my head and before I can fucking stop it, it just spews out. Like word vomit."

Logan chuckled at that, finishing his beer with one last chug.

"About half of the stuff I say isn't even fucking true, I just say it to be an ass."

"But Emma really does look like Madonna from tha 90s."

She laughed again and nodded. "Oh definitely, I said only half the stuff isn't true." She paused for a second before continuing. "Like you don't actually smell like a wet dog." She smirked and looked down at her lap.

"Really? Well what do I smell like then?"

Amara leaned over until she was inches away from Logan's face and he stopped breathing. She closed her eyes and took a deep whiff, pausing to allow the scent to wash over her before replying.

"You smell like cigar smoke and evergreens… Like a forest. It's nice." She smiled brightly and stayed where she was, relishing in Logan's smell.

He chuckled and was happy to her smile. God, if he was being honest with himself, her smile was breathtaking, and he lost himself for a few seconds just staring at her. Her eyes opened and she glanced down at his lips. His heart sped up for a second. He felt this pull towards her, and subconsciously leaned forward. They were already so close, all he had to do was lean in a little more- she cleared her throat and straightened, turning forward again and Logan had to bite his lip to stop himself from vocally protesting. He quickly righted himself and gripped his empty beer tightly. What tha hell is wrong wit meh? I just got this woman ta stop tryin' ta kill meh, and kissin' is a sure way ta get electrocuted, he thought. But he could have sworn she had leaned in, even the slightest bit, she must have the pull too, right? But what could have possibly spooked her? He heard the interruption before he could smell it.

"Well if it ain't da Wolverine- and who is dis? Gambit leaves ta visit da family fa a month, and comes back ta see da most beautiful chere in da world. Dere is a God." He moved in front of Amara, ignoring Logan's scowl and attempting to sidestep the feline at her feet. Successful, he grabs her hand holding the empty beer, throwing the bottle away and kissing her hand repeatedly causing Amara to giggle.

"Well I guess chivalry really isn't dead is it?"

"Never wit da Gambit, no, chere. What do I call you?"

"Her name's Amara, swamp rat, now if ya wouldn't mind-"

"Amara? What a fittin' name fer such a breathtakin' woman." He placed a few more kisses on her hand, smiling up at her.

"Would da chere allow da Gambit ta treat her fer dinner tonight? Ain't no one can cook gumbo like meh, I guarantee I'll leave ya more dan satisfied, in more ways dan one if da chere let me." He gave her a devilish smirk and winked, causing Logan to groan loudly. There was no way Amara was going to fall for this shit-

"Oooo, a man who can cook? Gumbo at that? By all means, lead the way Chef BoyaNewOrleans." She smiled brightly and stood up. Gambit grabbed at his chest and gasped overdramatically.

"Amara, my dear, ya keep smilin' like dat dere and da Gambit will marry ya on da spot."

Amara laughed and slapped his arm playfully. "Oh stop it."

He grabbed her hand and they walked around the log, heading back to the house. Logan watched their departure with a deep scowl. Amara looked over her shoulder and shouted a quick "Thanks for the beer, Logan" before they disappeared through the back doors. Logan humphed and turned back to the water. He put his hands through his hair in frustration and let a string of curses escape his lips until he realized he still had guests. He shifted on the log to face the two adult animals, raising an eyebrow at them in question. The mother monkey and the panther just stared back at him expectantly. Logan sighed and wiped at his face exasperatedly.

"Ya two know what cockblockin' is?"

Silence.

"It's when someone interrupts two people who are havin' a 'moment'. An' that asshole, Gambit? He's tha biggest cockblocker on tha planet."

 _ **Aw poor Logan. But points for having Gambit back, right? Just another note, I just wanna say thank you to all of you who has stayed with me throughout this story. I recently re-read all of it and may I say daaaaaamn. I know my writing is rough from time to time, but in the beginning? Those chapters were horrible! I'll definitely be re-writing them at some point. Thanks for hanging around, and until next chapter, bonvoyage!**_


	17. Chapter 17

_Okay, okay, okay. I know alright. It's been a YEAR since I last updated. I am SO SORRY. I had school in the fall, then even took an entire semester of classes this past summer, so I just never had time to really dedicate myself to the story. But I recently re-read it, and just thought, I couldn't leave it there. It's just starting to get good and I still have so much I want to happen. So without further ado, here ya go! Read and Review, I really do read them!_

 **Logan**

'Gorramn swamp rat, always getting inta other people's business.' Logan smirked as every violent thing he wanted to do to Gambit flitted across his mind. Movement to his left interrupted his thoughts, and he looked over in time to see the monkey hop off the log and begin gathering her kids from the panther's fur. He watched as the panther stretched lazily and yawned before it stood up. It glanced at him, then bounded off into the woods without looking back to wait for its companions. Logan raised an eyebrow and began to get up but stopped when he realized the monkey was standing in the way, glaring at him.

He hesitated for a second, then scoffed at himself. 'I'll be damned if I'm scared of a gorramn monkey.' He thought as he scoffed and rolled his eyes. Out loud, he asked, "Can I help ya wit somethin'?"

The monkey turned her head to the side, and bared her teeth before turning with a huff and stalking in the direction the panther took.

'Oh yeah, with an attitude like that Amara definitely created her'.

With that thought, he got up, collected Amara's forgotten bottle and headed back towards the mansion. As he got closer, he heard Amara's laugh and smiled. He could imagine what she looked like, a large smile gracing her face, her eyes squinted shut, her body hunched over and her hand grasping her gut. She had the most pleasant laugh he had ever heard, and was again so thankful they had worked everything out. Excluding the episode in Emma's office, she was finally beginning to open herself up, allowing the others glimpses into the woman behind the scowl and smart mouth.

Another laugh joined Amara's, and Logan's pleasant mood instantly dissipated as he remembered why he was so annoyed in the first place. He stalked up the porch and into the kitchen, catching the tail end of their conversation.

"... and den, wit as much force as da Gambit could musta, I slapped da Wolverine right dere in his face!"

Amara burst into laughter, holding her gut as she asked, "With the whipped cream still in your fucking palm?"

Gambit smiled mischievously and replied, "Si chere, you should hav seen his face, absolute classic!"

Amara chuckled as she wiped tears from her eyes. "That has to be the best story I've ever heard. I wish I had been there, I can only imagine what his face looked like. But there is no way in hell he let you get off scot-free for that, what'd he do to you in return?"

"I haven't done nothin' yet, ain't that right swamp rat?"

Gambit visibly gulped and nodded, careful to avoid eye contact with the subject of his story. Logan placed the bottles in the recycling, then made his way over to him, an evil grin growing on his face.

"It was justa prank, right? No harm no foul." Though his voice dripped in nonchalance, Logan's stare was malicious, making Gambit shudder where he stood.

He could see Amara from the corner of his eye, and inwardly smiled at the smirk she adorned as she watched the scene play out in front of her.

"D-d-dat right, Wolvie. Just a-a innocent prank. Da Gambit mean no harm, wasn't even his idea-"

"Oh don't be so modest, Gambit. Logan, Gambit had just finished telling me about how he had come up with the idea and had debated with himself for a week on how exactly he was going to pull it off."

"A week, huh?"

"Non, non, da chere be mistaken. Gambit would neva plot such a ting against da Wolverine."

"Yeah, you know what, you're right, swamp rat. Amara, you must not be recollectin' the story correctly. Gambit here would never do such a thing, not when he knows how unforgivin' tha Wolverine is. How vengeful, how long he can hold a grudge." He paused as he slowly released his claws from one hand, examining them as he continued, "How his six indestructible adamantium claws can tear through flesh like a sharp steak knife can slice through paper. He'd never risk hisself like that."

"You're right, I must be wrong, my sincerest apologies Gambit." Amara's smirk turned into a full grin as she watched Gambit shift in his spot, becoming more and more uncomfortable as the conversation continued.

"You know what, padnat? Da Gambit forgot he must, ah….has ta, um... is dat da chere Stormy calling? Comin'!" And in a flurry of leather, he was off, leaving the other two mutants in a fit of laughter.

"Oh, Logan that was fantatic! I mean, he was already fucking squirming, and then the stunt with the claws?" She giggled as she stood up and approached the man.

Logan grinned and sheathed his claws. "That was pretty entertainin', wasn't it?"

"Yeah it was, but now I'm outta a free dinner. I doubt he'll be back down to make his promised gumbo any time soon."

"Well, hell, who cares about that, we are the reignin' champions of the War of the Shit. 'Ro and furball owe us dinner."

"You're goddamn right we are!" She jutted her fist out and was met with a blank stare.

"Logan, you've got to be fucking kidding me. Here, like this." She grabbed his hand and formed a fist, then punched it. He still gave her a blank look and she rolled her eyes.

"Damn, I didn't know you were that much of a goddamn square. Whatever, we'll work on that. But I doubt the vanquished will pay up after my little outburst with Emma earlier." She tapped her chin in thought.

Logan's ears perked up as he looked at the door. "Well there ain't no better way finding out than from tha source."

Amara looked up questioningly then turned to look at the door just as Hank waltzed in. She and Logan shared a look of agreement and both returned their attention to their friend. Hank's eyes shifted between the two, sensing they were up to something but didn't have any idea as to what. That didn't stop him from narrowing his eyes in suspicion and crossing his arms as he glared at them expectantly. After a few beats, Amara finally spoke.

"Listen Hank, about earlier with Emma-"

"She did misspeak and mentioned things that were a little below the belt, there's no doubt about that, but you shouldn't have antagonized her like that, Amara. She's under enough stress between finishing the final grades for the students, constantly checking and monitoring the children's well being through Cerebro, AND now figuring out the budget and how we are going to be able to afford remedying the damages somebody-" he paused just long enough to throw a scowl in Amara's direction- "caused to the school grounds and the Danger Room."

"Hey, furball, ease up. She had no control ova what she was doin' and ya know it."

"I understand, but that doesn't change the fact that the school is in dire need of repairs and attempting to plan what money goes where is heavily weighing on Emma's mind right now. All I ask is that the both of you try your hardest to make peace. She doesn't need the extra strain."

Both mutants sighed and nodded their acknowledgement. With that done, Hank relaxed his stance a little, that is until he saw the look that both Logan and Amara shared.

"Now that we've gotten properly lectured, it's time ta pay up, blueboy."

Hank rolled his eyes. For a man who didn't remember his past, Logan always had the most excellent memory at the most inconvenient of times.

"Logan, now is hardly the time to bring that up."

"Oh, and what time would best work with ya schedule?"

"The sarcasm is not necessary Logan. I think until everything has calmed down, and not to mention settling Gambit back in-"

"You know what? You are a hundred percent right, Hank."

Both males glanced at each other and stared at Amara in confusion.

"Now is not the time, we'll ask when things have calmed down more. And thank you so much for setting us straight with Emma, we really appreciate your wisdom and guidance."

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome, pal." She raised her fist for a pound, thought better of it, and enveloped the beast in a hug. Now both men were really confused, and before Hank could respond, the hug was over and Amara was walking out of the kitchen.

Both men just stared after her for a few moments, until Logan finally broke the silence.

"Well that was fucking weird."

"Indeed."

Another few seconds of silence passed, before Logan shrugged and made his way out of the room as well.

"See ya around, furball."

"Yeah…"

Logan left Hank to his thoughts as he made his way down the hallway, contemplating Hank's words and Amara's out of character behavior. He wondered as to why she would hug Hank, he didn't do anything special. Hell, he was damn near scolding them as if they were children. So what would possess Amara to hug him like that? And did it have to be for that long? And why so damn tight? And finally, why couldn't he stop fucking thinking about it?

"Well it's about time you showed up, I thought I'd have to commit grand theft auto and go enjoy the free dinner by my damn self."

He looked up to see the woman plaguing his thoughts lounging against the wall, wearing her trademark smirk.

"Well unless you feel like committing a crime tonight, there's no way we're having a free dinner any time soon."

"Hmmm…. I don't think that'll be a problem." She took a few steps until she was standing chest to chest with him, causing his heart to stutter and his throat to become dry. "Especially since, in some countries, they would have gone all Star Wars on me and chopped off my hand." She fished something out of her pocket, and upon closer expectation, Logan chuckled at the realization of what it was: Hank's wallet. She wiggled her eyebrows and broke into a grin.

"I'm feeling something West Indian. You ever have a coco patty?"

"A what?"

Amara backed up and began making her way to the garage.

"Oh young grasshopper, there's so much I have yet to teach you. Where will I ever find the time to fit such an unimaginable task into my busy schedule?"

He rolled his eyes as he followed Amara into the garage.

 **Hank**

Hank was still stuck in the kitchen befuddled by Amara's behavior. She usually shrank away from any sentimental situations, and in the few weeks he's known her, he never pegged her as a hugger. And yet, she had hugged him. Not only had she not shied away, but she had _initiated_ it. He deduced he finally must have gotten to her. Inwardly congratulating himself, he strode out the back door, thus exiting the mansion. He made a beeline for the greenhouse, he knew Ororo had returned after their meeting, wanting to clean up after their 'battle' as much as possible.

His mind went over the battle with a small smile on his face. Though the mess they made was indeed a burden, he still didn't fully regret it. Sure, Emma was annoyed and rightfully so, he was still apologizing for accidentally hitting her with the manure, but he couldn't remember the last time he, Ororo, and Logan had had such a great time together, with no responsibilities or worries to hold them back. Speaking of Logan…. Yes he had meant what he said about them making peace with Emma, but in regards to their free dinner… He really just didn't want to pay for it. He knew that was terrible and it was horrible of him to exploit everything going on, but he couldn't help it. To quote Logan, he'd be damned if he acknowledged his defeat. If there's two things Hank was, it was intelligent, and competitive. He smiled to himself as he approached the entrance. He'd bide his time, putting off paying until he could go double or nothing on something he knew he would win. All he had to do was keep his wallet hidden-

Hank stopped just in the doorway and began patting himself down, his panic turning into annoyance then full fledged anger. Ororo gave him a questioning look, and approached him cautiously. They both turned at the sound of a motorcycle tearing out of the garage. Hank's eyes widened in realization of what had happened and broke into a run following the bike.

"AMARAAAAAAAA!"

 _Aw, poor Hank! But that's what he gets for holding out. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I'll do my best to update at least once every two weeks. The more reviews and likes I get, the faster I'll work! I hope everyone has a great day and I'll see ya next time!_


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